A good man is hard to find

"Lessons," by Pat Schneider

I have learned
that life goes on,
or doesn't.
That days are measured out
in tiny increments
as a woman in a kitchen
measures teaspoons
of cinnamon, vanilla,
or half a cup of sugar
into a bowl.

I have learned
that moments are as precious as nutmeg,
and it has occurred to me
that busy interruptions
are like tiny grain moths,
or mice.
They nibble, pee, and poop,
or make their little worms and webs
until you have to throw out the good stuff
with the bad.

It took two deaths
and coming close myself
for me to learn
that there is not an infinite supply
of good things in the pantry.

No, there isn't an infinite supply of good things in any one person's pantry, but I believe there is such a supply in the collective pantry of a community, of a nation, of the world. There will always be at least one good thing you can find outside of yourself and it won't be impossible to receive it. A person can hope, anyway.

Right now, I feel particularly hopeful about the collective spirit of a nation (even if it isn't mine), and heartened by the givingness of the people who are unflappable in their belief in something larger than themselves. There's been so much energy and excitement for the campaign of a transformational figure, a man with a message of hope and change, an intellectual, a family man, a reader of Emerson, a thoughtful and inspiring orator who uses great metaphors in speeches, a man who loves his grandmother, and who has holes in the soles of his shoes but dances (though not quite as well as his awesome wife) sportingly on The Ellen Degeneres Show.

When I talked to F over the weekend, I spoke of how inspired I was reading about the acts of volunteerism for Barack Obama - the canvassing, the donations, the phonecalls - and the numbers that show up to listen at rallies, the unexpecteds who've cross party lines, who've been canvassing with people so different from themselves but don't mind at all because they share a great hope that they can make a difference and create the change they all yearn for. To have that opportunity is so rare.

Even F was moved by it all, not least by the notable candidate himself, who F confessed had nearly moved him to tears with one of his speeches earlier this year. F was voting early, and he remarked on how important an event it was for him, going to the booth and physically placing his vote.

I'm glad I'm here to witness all of this, even if I'm half a world away. I'll be glued to NPR, Salon.com, and NYT updates all Wednesday between my lessons.

A last note on lessons - this mini essay was one of the top stories on Yahoo yesterday. It's about what Jonathan Curley learned when he canvassed for Barack Obama.

Posted by Monoceros at November 4, 2008 8:00 PM