How Can I Be So Pleased...?

How Can I Be So Pleased With My Life 

At a Time Like This?

Well, because I moved to Vermont, became a Montpelierite,

made a sign and marched with Bernie’s peeps in the July 4th parade 

(on July 3rd because that’s how this town does it, my friend), 

and Bernie himself bumped into me (yes, literally) 

on his way to the front but didn’t apologize 

because who has time when there’s a parade to lead? 

And so many folks wanting to shake his hand, thank him, 

feel the burn—he belongs to them, 

the woman next to me says, 

and if you saw how he grins 

and leans down when the children 

hug him, you’d know it’s true.  

He’s like the State House, open to all, 

source of pride and respite. 

 

(Temps heading to the high nineties 

today, and online, city hall reminds citizens 

that the State House will be open if they need to cool off.)

There’s scaffolding on the dome now 

while they re-gild it, and even granddaughter Simone 

knows that a new Ceres statue is being carved 

to crown the project.  

Of course I’m bragging, and she’s Simone, 

not just any four-year-old, but ask yourself, 

who else chooses to honor the goddess of grain 

instead of Athena, goddess of war?  

Brave Little State.  So green. 

When we reached the corner of Elm and Spring, 

there was Maureen, whom I hadn’t seen since 

The Women’s March!  Laughing, sharing, 

we got underway, marching again,

and I worked my two sided sign:  

We care, do U? / 

We care about Kids, 

Families, Our Earth!  

All along our route, people smiled, nodded, waved.

Such a pleasure to recall it all with my morning coffee, 

but then the news—proving again that these days 

new means worse. 

Flash— Ohio is training 

and arming teachers—no, wait— 

even their cafeteria ladies are learning 

to shoot to kill.   The Trump/Putin Giveaway Summit 

is still on, North Korea is fabricating more nukes than ever, 

but the boys’ soccer team in that Thailand cave may be saved. 

Prayers for them, and God help them--

also for the asylum seekers and their kids in cages…

I know, I know.  My bad.  

So few of us get to 

move to Vermont.

                                                                —Sef, 7/4/2018