Poem For President Barack Hussein Obama

Former Connecticut poet laureate Marilyn Nelson on the Yale campus. (JOHN WOIKE)

Poem For President Barack Hussein Obama
January 20, 2009 (Yes, we did!)

The Hartford Courant
January 20, 2009

Moments arrive and flee,
Each its own expiration date.
And we make history
Whether we're sleepwalking or not.

Moments arrive and flee.
Our momentary choices flow
Through the fingers we hold out now.
Each choice, made or not, defines tomorrow.

Whether we're schemers advancing ourselves,
Or whether we're dream-makers, time will tell.
What will the future say of us?
That we were torturers?

That our rich greed
Drove the world to the brink?
That we bequeathed pollution and national debt?
Or that, enlightened, we started to think.

That, in the moment we chose to vote for hope,
We changed our fear into new confidence.
That we woke from deep sleep
With restored wisdom and intelligence.

Then we used all the leaves
Of the family table, and brought in chairs.
Then we rolled up our sleeves
And started cleaning the earth, the sea, the air.

Like us, the future will thank all the names
People use for the One,
For making this remarkable young man
To lead America toward our highest aims.

May his greatness grow with each tick of the clock:
Barack, Barack, Barack, Barack, Barack!
Bring out the fireworks! Ring all the bells!
Let's celebrate President Obama! Let's sing ourselves!

Marilyn Nelson