And still more from the very busy Maureen Hurley at Cleveland Elementary in Oakland. A sad note on the state of arts funding in California (and the U.S.) right now: Maureen's residency at Cleveland was cut short when funding for her program there was eliminated. If you want to help keep poets like Maureen in our schools, please visit the California Poets in the Schools website to make a donation.
COMMON HOPE
1.
In four days the world will be safer.
It will be the best day that came to be.
What will happen to the world
Depends on you.
Do you stand for common hope
Like someone we all know,
Like Martin Luther King, Jr.?
What you want to do for America
Is your decision,
We all want you to make
the right decision, Obama.
2.
We know what these days will bring us.
You became in charge.
You are the boss of America
I will remember when "Yes we can"
Became "Yes we did."
We, the people, hope you make the right decisions.
Today and in the future, we will be safe
From harm and danger.
I remember when you ran for president.
I was with you all the time.
I really like that you play basketball.
Now there is a new president.
I'm with you all the way.
So, Obama, dust yourself off,
And let's go!
— Jackson
DEAR PRESIDENT OBAMA:
We are glad that you are the president
We are glum that we have worries
We worry about animals being tortured
We worry about people dying from world hunger
We worry about people losing jobs and homes
We worry about global warming
We worry about our friends and family
We worry about our economy
We hope that you'll answer most of our worries
We hope you make fantastic history
Lastly, we hope you will be
the best president ever
—Crystal
About Me
- Letters to Obama
- San Francisco, California, United States
- The Letters to Obama Poetry Project is a national poetry writing effort. Students across the U.S. (and in Mexico!) are writing poems to the president and sending them on to the White House, as well as sharing them in their communities. To participate, email letterstoobama@yahoo.com.