Poetry Tuesday -- For Isn't Today A Sort of Poem?

In The Presence Of The Event

In the presence of the event,
we are small,
and humbled;
we are tall;
and larger than life.

We are fear;
and we are trembling;
and we are hope stripped of restraint.


Somber and joyous
in one sweeping breath of nation –
close-up, and a thousand miles beyond –
we are the grandeur of ceremony
and the deep dignity
of the uncredentialed, shoulder-to-shoulder crowd.

We stand,
each of us together
and are sworn in

yet again

and at last.




Note: I heard the phrase "In the presence of the event" this morning on NPR by someone covering the inaugural crowd. I'll track down who said it and give credit where credit is due when I have a chance.