in union
with our countrymen
we congratulate them
on their win
and we note
our mutual concern
for the direction of our
country

in mourning
we note the short campaign
of hope, of kindness
of a refusal to divide
and deride

saddened
we entrust our public
institutions
to those who
don’t seem to know
or respect them
their history, their purpose

we wish we had a wiser
solution in hand
that would soothe all fears
calm the stirred up
waters, please these people
and yet look
to the future

where all of these
limitations and
oppositions
will probably
shrink into insignificance
in a broader, better world.