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October 30, 2015

Poetry Friday--"Voting"

Next Tuesday is Election Day. It's going to be an election that many people will ignore. It's not a Presidential election year, nor is it a Congressional election year, still, there are elections going on that may be consequential on the state or local level. If you don't vote, you have no one to blame but yourself if the school project in your town doesn't get funded, or if your state legislators decide to make it harder for poor women to get health screenings.

Voting is a right guaranteed by the 15th Amendment to the Constitution. You, as an adult, act as a model for the future citizens of this country. If you neglect to vote, young people may get the message that voting isn't worth their time and effort. Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting."


I wrote a poem last year and it was accepted for inclusion in The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations. The book was compiled and edited by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong, and is published by Pomelo Books. If you flip through the poem credits, you'll find these familiar Poetry Friday blogger names: Joy Acey, Michelle H. Barnes, Doraine Bennett, Robyn Hood Black, Matt Forrest Esenwine, Kelly Ramsdell Fineman, Mary Lee Hahn, Penny Parker Klostermann, Julie Larios, Irene Latham, Renee M. LaTulippe, B. J. Lee, Jone Rush MacCulloch, and many more!

Here's my poem, which celebrates our right to vote:



© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

The poem was also translated into Spanish for The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations and is titled "Votación." Special thanks to Liliana Cosentino and the others on the translation team. And, kudos to Sylvia and Janet for their editorial vision.

Head across the country to where Jone is hosting the Halloween weekend Round-Up at Check It Out. (Yes, it's the same Jone whose name is mentioned above.)

Finally, on Tuesday, go out and vote!

15 comments:

  1. I do try to make sure to get out and vote! It's a right and a responsibility that we don't ever want to lose!

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  2. I think you captured just the right tone for this poem, Diane. I do wish more Americans would treat voting as a cause for celebration rather than a chore or inconvenience.

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    1. PS. The PF roundup is live now– add your links!

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    2. So true about celebrating our "right" to vote. I left for work much too early to put up my links, so I had to wait 9+ hours to get it done!

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  3. This time, the balloting is all by mail, but there are several important measures that I want a voice for! I do go to the polls for the big elections no matter than I can vote via mail. It still gives me a thrill. Glad to see your poem again, Diane. That Celebrations book is wonderful.

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    1. I love it when they hand out stickers at the polls that say, "I voted." Just a little bit of colorful text stuck to my jacket makes me proud and makes me smile when I see others wearing stickers, too.

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  4. Putting your poem up in my classroom, Diane. We are just beginning to learn about the Constitutional Convention - voting is what democracy is all about.

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  5. Wonderful poem. I like to get my voting sticker too. Only problem is, when I get home the bears fight over it. They know its significance. :)

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  6. Diane, did you hear that almost 70% of eligible voters in Canada cast their ballots in the recent elections there? That compares with only 57% of eligible voters in the U.S. casting ballots in 2012 (both of those were important national elections - for midterm elections the turnout in the U.S. ranges between 39% and 47%, and that's of people actually registered to vote - many people don't even register. Its either scandalous or depressing, maybe both. Glad to read your poem again - I'll definitely be voting on Tuesday!

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    1. It's scandalous! We puff ourselves up as being #1, yet, we don't come close to being #1 in voter participation.

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  7. We have early voting here, so hubby and I went to the polls yesterday morning on my day off school and made sure our voices were heard. We have some important issues on the ballot, and we need to make sure the right people gain spots on school boards and judge's benches. Every vote that's counted, counts!!!

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    1. Keep up the good work! We don't have early voting here in NH. And now we have vote ID, which is the reason why there are lines to vote. Ten years ago, you walked in, voted, and then were on your way.

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