THRILLED by Dennis Doph

beyond beyond . 70

Thrilled

Thrilled to the marrow of my old bones Thrilled to be alive and conscious
in this Brave New World Where a black man
has been elected President of these United States
Without once pointing the finger at his white mother
or white grandparents

Thrilled to see the bastions of the Old South North Carolina Florida
even Indiana fall into the maw of the New Order Thrilled to see
the razor thin event of Missouri where Jayhawkers once lynched
black men for sport

Thrilled to see proto-Mormon Nevada fall Casinos of Vegas and Reno
must be using Blue chips for their exclusive currency Thrilled to see
Michelle Obama stride that stage in Chicago with the aplomb of a woman
born to understand power and not to abuse it

While grim slash-mouthed Cindy lets Joe Lieberman in for his boyish
drooling kiss He and John-Boy share their crocodile tears
As if she cared Thrilled that Sarah Barracuda will be returning
to Juneau to face an unthrilled population of discenchanted Alaskans

Thrilled that Obama's caring grandmother Evelyn who gave up her muumuus
for bank president's power garb Who brought up her half-Kenyan grandson
with dignity and wisdom almost lived to see her handsome charge be elected
President And still they criticized him for returning to Hawaii

Thrilled that last minute robo-calls in Florida proclaiming Castro had given
Obama his dotard blessing were seen through as so much bullshit
By the new Cuban American voters who finally sorted out who their real
friends are

Thrilled that I got past Nixon and his threatening five o'clock shadow
Got past my horror at how the gullible populace rejected Jimmy Carter
A truly great President with heart and wisdom Got past Ronnie
and his inability to sort out where Reykjavik really is Got past Poppy Bush
and his wonder at the reality of bar codes Got past the messy spectacle
of the Clintons their inbred envy of each other toxic to the max

Got past Junior and his eight years of total debacle on every level

Thrilled to be past all that Never forgetting a thing We'll need long memories
for perspective as we enter Terra Incognita
Shaking and trembling