Someone to Wake

I am not entirely sure what to say, so I say this: I cried today listening to Obama. I am sure that many years from now, I will remember sitting in the living room as the snow fell outside the window. My son walked laps back and forth pushing a cardboard box for support, as the first African American was sworn into the office of president. I will remember that it felt like the whole world could change, like we could actually fix the ills of humanity. As unrealistic as this may sound, I happen to believe that such optimism is the only way that people have truly changed the world throughout history. I'm sure people told Martin Luther King Jr. that he too was crazy and unrealistic.

So I will remember that I had just arrived home form that historic city, a fifteen hour drive through a blizzard, where I played music in honor of the men who have held this office. That the plow would wake me each morning at four am this winter. That I would see photos of me playing my new guitar for the first time that day, and think it a beautiful instrument. That perhaps the small things could come to matter again in American Politics, because the big things were finally being dealt with. That maybe world did change in one quick moment.

The above illustration of Obama was done by Rama Hughes for the new song Christian Kiefer wrote for our presidents record about said gentlemen. The song was sung by Will Johnson of the Texas band Centro-matic, and I played the aforementioned new guitar on the tune. You can go grab the song at NPR and listen to another brief interview. Feel free of course to post the tune on your own blogs, websites, etc. I confess that my secret dream is for Obama to hear it and invite us to play The White House and have dinner with his family. Now that would be something.

Posted by jeff pitcher at January 20, 2009 07:29 PM

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