Stuck in the middle with you...

"Clowns to the left of me, 

Jokers to the right, here I am, 

Stuck in the middle with you"

With apologies to the Stealers Wheel hit of the 70's, that's the way I'm feeling. We have a President that's gone, another that's just arrived, and a Youth Poet Laureate (didn't know there was such a thing, shame on me) who managed to steal (there's that word again) the show. 

One of our friends, according to my better half, put on her Facebook, upon seeing Marine One whisking Mr. Trump out of Washington, something to the effect "That #@&*ers GONE!". Another, on the opposite end of the spectrum shared that he wanted nothing to do with 'creepy Joe'. Therein lies the reason I'm not on Facebook but that's another story.

Amanda Gorman

I'm probably a fool (some would say there's no uncertainty about it), but I still believe words matter. If you were moved at all by young Miss Gorman reciting her poem at Mr. Biden's Inauguration then perhaps you too believe that words have meaning. And power.

Unfortunately, if the last four years have taught us anything its that words have power for good and for bad. Words can speak truth but can also spread lies. As Human Beings with supposedly rational brains it is up to us to decipher the difference.

While Miss Gorman will go down in prosperity as being the highlight of the Inauguration, in fact she was not the substance, the reason why we were paying any attention (if in fact you were) to what was happening on a partly cloudy/partly sunny (glass empty/half full?) day in our nation's capitol.  No, as mesmerizing as her 'Hill We Climb' poem was, we were actually gathered together as a country, Americans all though not united, to witness an event that just a week or so before was uncertain to occur. 

And yet, it had to occur. Without it this country would have ceased to exist as we know it, as we believe in it. 

Mr. Biden would probably be the first to acknowledge that his oratory skills pale in comparison to his young guest who spoke of being able to aspire to becoming President but on this January morning found herself reciting poetry for one. While Miss Gorman's eloquent soliloquy rang out for some five and a half minutes, Mr. Biden's Inaugural Speech went on nearly four times as long. Perhaps that is appropriate, as HIS words were ultimately the more important. While Miss Gorman aspires to be President, Joseph Robinette Biden IS President. Four years ago, when Mr. Trump stood in the same spot to deliver his Inaugural Speech I acknowledged that while I wasn't necessarily thrilled by the fact, he was OUR President for the next four years. 

Inaugural Speeches happen every four years and then seem to be relegated to the vaults of history (Since 1789 there have been 58 inaugural ceremonies to mark the commencement of a new four-year term of a president of the United States, and an additional nine marking the start of a partial presidential term following the death or resignation of an incumbent president). No one, other than perhaps historians, pay them much heed. Still, as I mentioned above. words matter. 

I remember four years ago paying particular attention to Mr. Trump's words on his Inauguration. I was curious as to what he would have to say as he clearly was something completely different (for good or bad) than his predecessors. His 16 minute speech was one of the shortest. What has been the longest you ask? In 1841 William Henry Harrison decided to brave the elements and deliver the longest inauguration speech ever, an oration lasting an hour, 40 minutes. On a cloudy, cold and blustery day Harrison who wore neither hat nor overcoat, rode a horse to and from the Capitol ceremony, subsequently caught a cold that developed into pneumonia. A month later, Harrison died. Words don't matter?

Stuck. In the middle. I voted for Mr. Biden but I am not a Democrat. Nor am I a Republican. And yes, through the years I have cast my ballot for candidates from both parties. Unlike for many of my Democrat friends it is not enough simply that Trump is out and Biden is in. Nor, like my friends in Red do I believe that Joe is the worst thing to ever happen to America. So I listened to his speech to HEAR what the man had to say. With all respect to my Blue friends, for me, he doesn't get a pass simply because he's 'not Trump'. 

I'm not going to bore you (if you're even still with me at this point) with summarizing what #46 said. You can read/listen to it online and in the video below. What I will say is that we as Americans should hold Mr. Biden to his words. Four years from now (if I'm still here, god willing) I'll read his words again and decide for myself if his Presidency hit the mark that he set on January 20, 2021. And yes, in fairness to Mr. Trump I did go back and reread his speech after Mr. Biden gave his. 

Suffice it to say that Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. set some pretty lofty goals for his Administration and for our country. While I am sure we have not heard the last of a young poet descended from slaves and raised by a single mother, it is far more important that his words, rather than hers, come to fruition over the next one thousand four hundred and sixty days.