On an early November day <br />when the last oak leaves <br />clung to barren branches, <br />Americans from Maine to L.A. <br />set aside their labors <br />to ring the freedom bell - <br />one ballot at a time <br />and decreed the time had come. <br /> <br />And so on a frigid January day <br />an eloquent man with African DNA, <br />placed a hand on Lincoln's bible <br />and vowed allegiance to us all. <br /> <br />Now Barack Obama's family <br />resides in America's home - <br />wrought a few scant yesterdays past <br />by the arms and backs <br />of human chattel who <br />though severed from their sacred liberty <br />held fast to their singing souls. <br /> <br />So with hope - filled mending hearts, <br />we entrust our nation's wheel <br />to the steady hand <br />of a calm and pensive man <br />who, in his vision, would dare <br />to unite the heavens with the soil - <br />one aspiration at a time. <br /> <br /><I>January 20, 2009<br /><br />Robert Charles Howard<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/obama-takes-the-oath/
