Thursday, January 15, 2009

Anticipation

Zooming through the grocery store for the essentials; ice cream sandwich incentives (more for me then them) milk, bananas the fruit little fingers can feel in control of, and a cheater chicken I am stopped in my track by the poster box. There right in front of the check out madness is Obama smiling with one arm up waving away, and that "what don't I have to smile about" look on his face. The title in red on the top says "Destiny". Underneath is his quote; "Destiny is not chosen for you, you choose your destiny," or something to that effect. The box is almost empty. Obama is sitting right smack in the middle of the impulse buy territory and he is being snatched up. I want to buy one for the house, my classroom, the car! I pause when I realize that had it been another president a few years back I would have found the mere presence of that box an irritant in my shoppping flow--an old shoe in the middle of the stream I was trying to cross.

The boys' daycare announced they are going to figure out a way to broadcast the inauguration. Sam informed them that he has plans to see it with mommy at her school, because "Obama won and he looks like us." He is right on all counts. He is going to watch with me and the eighth grade house. His fan club, the basketball boys are competing already for who gets to sit next to him. I wonder which part of it he'll remember more? My currwent fascination is Obama's inaugural poet Elizabeth Alexander. I have read everything by her I can get my hands on, and find it infinitely satisfying to read her over and over again making my way into a line or stanza. Emancipation is the title that I read with my students, if I had more time I'd post it here. Her web site it easy to find.

The morning parade has to begin here in a minute on five degree morning. I'm back to work with Marcel's ear infection and conjunctivitis miraculously under control in less than 24 hours. How did a single mother keep a job without antibiotics?

It isn't a dream is it?

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