Election Day
We wear them with pride: “I Voted Today!” —
those little stickers, red and white and blue,
badges of honor, along with the way
we beam at each other: Citizens Doing
Our Duty — Everyone Gets a Prize!
This high school gym is a shrine of democracy
and we are its votaries. Lies
will be punished, the pundits and the talk
shows are done with talk — the campaigns are over.
Our smiles are the smiles of six-year-olds
and we’re just as cute as buttons — we love
knowing that we belong, our teacher told
us so, we’re good boys and girls, we got gold
stars today, and there’s nothing more to prove.
© Michael Fleming
Brattleboro, Vermont
November 2012
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