I have a favorite poem by Langston Hughes:

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly.

Hold Fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

What made me think of it? After the election dust settled...I remembered it.

I hit on it in my editorial this week in Main Line Life (and I am entitled to my opinion) :

Posted on Tue, Nov 11, 2008
As I see it:This is an opportunity to be better
By Carla J. Zambelli

This is the column I wanted to write in March, but too many people were writing about politics so I am writing it instead on Nov. 5. It was on March 13 that I had the opportunity to meet the new first lady to be, Michelle Obama, at a small venue in Ardmore at St. George's Episcopal Church.I remember thinking to myself as I drove down Ardmore Avenue towards St. George's that I could really be meeting the future first lady. What would she be like, I wondered? It was one of those "oh wow" moments. (This all was of course, preceded by one of those truly female tearing my closet apart situations as I struggled to find something appropriate to wear in order to meet a potential first lady.)

What Michelle Obama was when I finally saw and met her, quite simply, was amazing. Gracious, poised, beautiful, smart and accomplished in her own right. She was also so incredibly real and down to earth. All in attendance that day at St. George's had the opportunity to meet with and speak to her. I remember what I said to her, and that was, if she was running for office that day, she had my vote. She laughed. But in all seriousness, the simple opportunity to meet her made me think.

The realization I came to was kind of simplistic: I had to vote on Nov. 4 not for someone else, not for a set of ideals in particular, but for me. I had to vote for who was best for me, for my pocketbook, and quite possibly my future. This wasn't an election I felt I could afford to be an aspirational voter or settle for someone because that was who my friends were most comfortable with.

But between March 13 and November 4 was a very long time.

This campaign season was grueling, and for average Americans it was so many things that words can't quite capture the range of feelings, thoughts and emotions. But as Election Day dawned, I knew how I was voting. Some people might be surprised that I voted for Barack Obama, others might be surprised to know I was actually still a Republican, but I am. But the Republican Party I admired even in 2000 as a volunteer for the RNC2000 doesn't exist for me in the same way today, and I think that in a sense, the Grand Old Party has lost her way. But then again, I am a Republican who identifies with politicians who are more moderate in nature. Like Jim Gerlach, for example.

The entire election season and Barack Obama's historic win can be summed up with a simple truism: We can't remain a country of political extremism if the democracy we love is to survive. Some way, somehow, we have to find a middle ground in the country and come together.

When I was a child attending St. Peter's at 4th and Pine in Philadelphia, we used to do this whole thing for Martin Luther King Day. Readings, music and various lessons. Now this was the early 1970s so the civil rights movement was in truth in only a recent past event. Perhaps my tiny grade school was in a sense, ahead of the curve. I woke on the morning of Nov. 5 remembering a poem I memorized in the 4th grade by Langston Hughes called "Dreams". It's very short, and I think it's very apropos, so I would like to share it:

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold Fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

This election was, in the end, history-making. We should not merely perceive this a Democrat win, but perhaps a change we all needed. Seriously, think about it: Obama embodies what this country is about, and what it was founded on. Change is going to be harder for some over others, but it won't necessarily be bad.

This country needs a political shake up and hopefully Obama will remain true to himself, and not get mired down in factions, political paybacks, and one political party over the other. If that were to be happen, it would be sad because it won't help any of us as Americans, and we will end up with the same old problems with a whole new set of players. Kind of like local politics some times, only on a larger scale.

We should all look at what has happened in this election as an opportunity. An opportunity to be better. Ours is a country with a rich history. We need to give the new guy, a guy who truly embodies an American dream, a chance. To me, the alternative is simply untenable.