Song of something else

I finished the biography of John Reed and, as usual, am jumping to different poets while looking for another book to read.

I settled on Walt Whitman, not having read him for a long while. I enjoy Whitman, his photo above, for his daring word choices, his outlook on the spirit and universe, but I had forgotten that he can be tiresome. After "Song of Myself" and "Passage to India," I felt I had had enough.

Pages turned and I finally dug out the Tennyson. You can always count on the British.

Election

Election night went OK at the paper, mainly because Obama was declared the winner early, by 11 p.m. That means I got out of work by 2 a.m., not like 2000 or 2004. Thank you, Florida!

I was surprised Obama won, though Allegan and Ottawa counties were some of the few areas in the state that followed McCain. I really thought mainstream America couldn't vote for a black man. I'm glad I was wrong about that.

Now, the hard part begins.

Again, I think there are few differences between Democrats and Republicans, but the Bush years have showed me how important intelligence is in the White House and what happens when short-sighted people get in control.