OctPoWriMo 27: One more week left and right .. .

One week left.
We are poised right
before the election.
Millions have cast their ballots.
Millions more ready to stand in line. 

Wearing masks. Or not.

Vote.
One week from tonight,
we millions will watch returns,
hoping to avoid chaos,
complaints of voter fraud,

gun toting poll watchers.

I am truly grateful to live 
in a state with 100% mail-in ballots.
Election night one week away.
Meanwhile a friend's mother dies of covid;

cases on the rise.

We wait and watch in quarantine

and hope and pray

this democracy will survive.

Some of us are uncertain.

Others are absolutely certain.

And after the election,
what will transpire on those days
between election and inauguration?
How many Executive Orders will transform
what once was built slowly?

I'd rather sit by a pond
to watch a white egret  
find a quiet place to stretch his wings.

But we are not allowed to look away

from this election, 

this democracy. 

Even I, older than average,

am ready to hit the streets,

if needed.

Image by sscheema on Pixabay

This last week of OctPoWriMo, anticipating election returns (or dreading them), adds another layer of distraction. So, I'm remembering all the times I have voted and hoped for a good outcome. The same is true this year. Morgan Dragonwillow invited us today to reflect on choices. I'm not so sure I can write poetry the rest of this week.