February 22, 2009
An emerald is as green as grass;
A ruby red as blood;
A sapphire shines as blue as heaven;
A flint lies in the mud.
A diamond is a brilliant stone,
To catch the world’s desire;
An opal holds a fiery spark;
But a flint holds fire.
[poetry by christina rossetti, precious stones (2nd pic is not sapphire but blue enough for this poem!), including the hope diamond in washington, DC, december 2008]
January 19, 2009
Dear Mr President-to-be,
You were on my students’ mind last week. They wanted to know: Why did you want to become president, what will you do to help the people, and when will you take the soldiers out from their country?
They found out you had an African father and an American mother, but that later you grew up with a stepfather in Indonesia, and then later still with your grandparents in Hawaii. They wonder whether you understand having lived in so many homes like they have. (My hope is that they will be proud of their cultural heritage even as they make their new home here in America).
They also read about the Greensboro sit-ins, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr. And their eyes now rest on you, sir. They see you as an example of one who has risen beyond circumstances and expectations.
Tomorrow they will watch you and hear you speak as the 44th president of this country. Will they, too, have hope?
[all the goss on Obama from Reading A-Z; photo buffed with Lomo-ish on picnik; one of my favourite things to see in DC - the Lincoln Memorial, Dec 2008]
