Comments on: WHY VOTE? or 4,186

By: Matt Zavadil

Matt Zavadil — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 12:16:22 +0000

Bryan,

Thanks for this piece. Not because I agree with it to a T, but because it reminds me of the importance of my voice. Every vote counts. That’s a fact.

I read your response to another comment regarding jumping off a bridge. I WILL vote for Nader and I’ll tell you why. Because to vote for either of the two “mainstream” candidates means more of the same. Perhaps colored a little differently (pardon the pun), but more the same none-the-less. This country needs real change. A departure from business a usual. And I support anyone with fresh perspective that will help lead us there.

Jumping off the bridge is a choice. I’m standing on the railing right now.

By: sonofwalt

sonofwalt — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 05:21:43 +0000

Amen, my friend. Amen.

God, I’ve been gone two weeks and now I cannot keep up with you!

By: poeticgrin

poeticgrin — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:52:12 +0000

Rachel – I so appreciate your words and am so happy that you feel I should merit a mention on your wonderful site. I have found inspiration in every sense from your work. Thank you.

By: rachel

rachel — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 06:00:21 +0000

Hey Bryan,

I included this great piece in my blogpost for today, with several mentions of your name and a continuation link over here. I’m guessing that’s OK with you. Keep up the great works-in-progress…

By: poeticgrin

poeticgrin — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:30:43 +0000

Henry – I am absolutely honored. Thank you for taking this piece and sharing it with your kids. I’m excited to see where they take the concept!

By: ht

ht — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 21:29:11 +0000

Bryan, I had my lit mag high school kids read this poem during our club meeting today. I asked them to go home and write a few lines that we plan to print as banners and hang around our school. They will also be working together to create one poem, inspired by this poem … I will pass along what I get. Thanks again. Henry T.

By: Telemachus

Telemachus — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 03:19:45 +0000

Oh, it’s not borrowing. It’s your poem so the title is whatever you want it to be. It was just a suggestion- glad you liked it!

By: poeticgrin

poeticgrin — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 18:03:36 +0000

Carolina – bless you, my child.

T – I love that idea! This is a part of a project centered around “Why Vote” – where bloggers address the issue of voting and encourage others to participate in the upcoming election. I think I have to have “Why Vote” as the title to be linked to the project. After Nov. 4 – I totally want to borrow your idea about the title change!

By: Carolina Maine

Carolina Maine — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 17:37:59 +0000

I especially like the violent prayers part.

By: Telemachus

Telemachus — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 16:34:12 +0000

Good points made throughout! Love that ending. Maybe should change the title to 4,186 and people will wonder about the relevance while reading it. That would really build up curiosity. You could even say something like, “Why should you vote / because i have already told / 4,186…” something like that. Just a thought. I hope I don’t seem critical because it’s a great piece.

By: Shelley

Shelley — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 17:27:05 +0000

love the closing.

By: zxvasdf

zxvasdf — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 15:33:15 +0000

Glad you liked the response. I didn’t include the dead because that would have bordered on the blasphemous. They didn’t know what they were getting into.

I don’t think we’ll ever sink. The current might change, though. Under either administration, we might find ourselves experiencing things that we don’t like, but change, either negative or positive, is necessary. After every hill there is a valley and after every valley there is a hill.

I don’t besmirch other people’s enthusiasm and concerns in the political party, but I’m not in a position to put in my two cents because I don’t vote.

Call me apathetic, but I’m of the mind whoever is willing to fight for a position of high power doesn’t deserve the position. I’m actually hoping that America will surprise itself and vote neither Democrat or Republican. That’s highly unlikely, of course, for as everybody knows, USA is a two-party country.

By: poeticgrin

poeticgrin — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 13:23:35 +0000

zxvasdf: First I must say that I visited your site and enjoyed what I found – and I’ve adding a link to you in my blogroll. I thank you for your comment and kind words & invite you to challenge and bring thought and discussion to these posts at any time. Your response brought a smile – particularly your listing of the characters within the poem – while I realized I included references to the Klan and Supreme Court Justices, seeing them listed in that manner, so closely, side by side, makes me shake my head a little – it’s absurd in some ways but I think that may be why I like it. Does voting compare to jumping off a bridge? Maybe. In 2000 I voted for Nader. Some might say I jumped off the bridge. In 2004, then nation did not vote for Kerry – we jumped off the bridge. Are we jumping off the bridge this year, even if we elect Obama? I could argue yes – that there is a risk in Obama’s election – he’s young – but there’s always a risk in newness. The question is, when we penetrate the river below, do we sink, or do we swim?

By: zxvasdf

zxvasdf — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 02:05:43 +0000

I really like this post, and just because I really like being the Devil’s advocate…

If your neighbor, your mother, the misogynist, the hellfire brimming priest and his damned congregation, the gold-toothed insurance executive, the condom decriers, the Klan, Scalia, Thomas, Roberts, Alito, and the homophobe jumped off the bridge, would you step up to the precipice too?

By: poeticgrin

poeticgrin — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:10:20 +0000

Political pieces are usually spur of the moment for me – a journaling of the moment and very reactionary. This one went a little beyond that, and I’m happy with the results. It’s a first draft, and I could tighten it up at places, but overall, I feel like I accomplished what I attempted to accomplish. Thanks for the feedback, everyone!