Obama’s First 100 Days…and Nights

Last week the Obamas hosted their first White House Poetry Jam to celebrate the power of words. Poetry and music warmed the East Room as playwrights, actors, writers, and musicians joined in an appreciation of American arts and culture.

During his campaign, Barack spoke of his Platform In Support Of The Arts, and since his presidency began he has allotted $50 million in stimulus money to the National Endowment for the Arts. Michelle has been deemed an “arts ambassador,” and in a recent speech at the Metropolitan Museum of Art she explained, “The arts are not just a nice thing to have or to do if there is free time or if one can afford it. Rather, paintings and poetry, music and fashion, design and dialogue, they all define who we are as a people and provide an account of our history for the next generation.” Quite the dynamic duo, artists and art lovers across the country eagerly await what the Obamas will do next.

At a recent poetry workshop, Charles Barasch (Dreams of the Presidents, 2008) asked participants to craft dream poems for Barack Obama. Here’s what they came up with:

Barack Obama’s Dream

At first light
I could feel the beautiful day
Driving hard at the basket
And me going up and over
Back and forth
I was the whole team
Passing to myself
Trying to steal my own ball
The game goes into overtime
With no end in sight

-Jim Finney

Barack Obama’s Dream

I am standing in the middle of a dance floor
where they are playing The Twist.
An older man around sixty warns
a little girl age seven whose hand he holds
not to dance to the music
but she pulls from his grasp
and runs to the other side of the dance floor.
She grabs the hand of a man
in a baseball uniform.
It’s Jackie Robinson.
They do the twist all around
the dance floor and
he suddenly disappears.
The girl asks me to take his place
but I am reluctant to dance.
The dance floor becomes
a cornfield. I run through
a maze of stalks that seem endless
but I find my way free and
come to a clear beautiful stream.
I see a baseball bat at my feet
and pick it up, walk to a batter’s box.
Dick Cheney is the pitcher,
Lincoln catching,
behind him a million umpires.

-Peter Lord

Barack Obama’s Dream

I sit there saying what have I gotten myself into?
Michelle is playing and teaching a bunch of kids,
the dog comes in and pees on my leg.
I wipe it up myself and think again –
what the hell kind of mess have I gotten into?
Joe Biden comes in and tells me everything will be fine.
Nancy Pelosi comes in and says she’ll help.
Cheney comes in and pisses all over the floor.
“This is what it’s like,” he says.

-Barbara Balaban

Barack Obama’s Dream

I’m walking the dog
From the copter to the house.
It’s quiet – no crowds – yet I’m waving
At the trees and the plants.
They wave back – they bow – they tremble.
I worry – do they fear me –
Have I gone too far?
I turn to Michelle – the dog is gone –
The leash is around Michelle.
She smiles – shakes it loose
And flies away – I awake.

-Al Balaban

Barack Obama’s Dream

I am standing on the African steppe. The sun is coming up and warms my bare shoulders. I begin to run. I am running across Kenya at the speed of light. I am focused on the figure whose silhouette glitters with the rising sun. My father is calling me from somewhere, but I cannot see him. I only hear his voice (though I can hardly remember what his voice was like). It’s a chant he’s calling out: CAN CAN CAN CAN CAN CAN CAN CAN. The figure before me raises her arms in victory. She is a woman, a very tall woman, and she is now beckoning me.

-Mary Weldon

Barack Obama’s Dream

I dreamt I was in church with
Michelle, Malia and Sasha
And heard the preacher say from the pulpit
From now on
We will be incorporating features from the Muslim faith
And the women will sit upstairs.

I dreamt I was driving across the country
Wind turbines as far as the eye could see
But there were ghost towns
With signs of the life that was,
The families had migrated to Asia
Where the economy still worked
And people could breathe the air.

I saw signs in the yards
Elect Obama
He will save us from ourselves
And the need to have everything.
“Yes we can,” whispered Hillary. We still can.

-Carol Montgomery

Barack Obama’s Dream

There is a hand over my mouth.
A towel blocks the air from entering.
Then someone drips water
slowly and continuously until I am
drowning with Buchatta in the background.
Harry Potter saves me and I am
suddenly weaving, dribbling around
Putin and Sadaam Hussein,
soaring to dunk over George W.’s open mouth
but the basket fades into a casket
surrounded by hibiscus.
And there is Grandma peaceful
with American flags billowing around her.

-Rachel Steward

Barack Obama’s Dream

Logistics and law
No patience in security and negotiation
Details at the Oval Office
Minutia of staff and public relations
Chafe my neck and fry my patience
My smile hurts

-Teresa Delaney

CLICK HERE to read our other posts about Dreams of the Presidents.

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