What makes these specific words so distinct,
what gives them their power, their importance
so special, so unique, that they must be in quotes,
that each, in their turn, must swear
the same exact words, by law, their oath of office
Oh but the repetition, the fidelity, the power of the
words
our nation wrapped up in that ritual, that invoking
each of those words in quotes, binding each one to
to the history of the office, the legacy of our nation,
the push and pull of power, of law, to remain
beholden to the words, the principles, the law
For this is to be a nation, governed by the people,
no one above the law, all of us equal
embodied in the words of mettle, our lives together
measured, bound up, by that which is written down
preserved, honored, revered, in law
by our forefathers gathered in Congress.
These are the words that matter, that bind us,
the right of each one’s actions, empowered
the ongoing cause of Freedom bound in
the pledge, the oath, the promise
to those words in quotes, in law.
==============
edited December 3, 2015
Words in Quotes – v5
(merging edits to version
2 and version 4)
edited December 1, 2015
Words in Quotes – v4
(editing version 2)
edited October 31, 2015
Changing the World – v5
(editing original)
edited February 2, 2015
Changing the World – v4
(merging edits to version
3 and version 2)
edited January 20, 2015
Changing the World – v3
(editing original again)
edited January 21, 2013
Changing the World – v2
January 18, 2009
Changing the World
edited January 20, 2015
Power in His Words – v3
(editing original again)
edited January 20, 2015
Fighting Evil – v3
(editing original again)
edited January 20, 2015
Love Liberates – v3
(editing original again)
edited January 20, 2015
The Power of His Words –
v3
edited January 20, 2015
Living Christ’s Words – v3
edited January 20, 2015
Not Words of Weakness – v3
(editing original again)
edited January 20, 2015
Hatred – v3
(editing original again)
edited January 20, 2015
Radical Words – v3
(editing original again)
edited
January 20, 2015
Understanding
this moment – v3
edited
January 20, 2015
Forty
Years – v3
(editing
original again)
edited
January 20, 2015
Seeing
Joshua – v3
(editing
original again)
edited
January 20, 2015
Choosing
the Cross – v3
(editing
original again)
edited January 20, 2015
Before
Martin – v3
edited
January 20, 2015
Echoes
of the Desert – v4
(editing
version 1 again)
edited
April 8, 2014
Echoes
of the Desert – v3
(editing
original again)
edited
January 20, 2015
In
His Ministry – v3
(editing
version 1 again)
edited
January 20, 2015
The
Question – v3
(editing
original again)
edited
January 20, 2015
Always
Torture – v3
(editing
original again)
edited
January 20, 2015
The
Hills of Zion – v3
(editing
version 1 again)
edited
January 20, 2015
Is
He Joshua – v3
(edited
version 1 again)
edited
January 20, 2015
Lofty
Words – v3
(editing
original again)
edited
January 20, 2015
understanding
a moment – v3
(editing
version 1 again)
edited
January 20, 2015
Words
in Quotes – v3
(editing
version 1 again)
edited
January 20, 2015
Words
that Bind – v3
(editing
version 1 again)
edited
January 20, 2015
Words
chosen for a nation – v3
(editing
version 1 again)
&
edited January 21, 2013
Power in His Words – v2
edited January 21, 2013
Fighting Evil – v2
edited January 21, 2013
Love Liberates – v2
edited January 21, 2013
The Power of His Words –
v2
edited January 21, 2013
Living Christ’s Words – v2
edited January 21, 2013
Not Words of Weakness – v2
January 21, 2013
Hatred – v2
January 21, 2013
Radical Words – v2
edited
January 21, 2013
Understanding
this moment – v2
January
21, 2013
Forty
Years – v2
January
21, 2013
Seeing
Joshua – v2
January
21, 2013
Choosing
the Cross – v2
January
21, 2013
Before
Martin – v2
January
21, 2013
Echoes
of the Desert – v2
January
21, 2013
In
His Ministry – v2
January
21, 2013
The
Question – v2
January
21, 2013
Always
Torture – v2
January
21, 2013
The
Hills of Zion – v2
January
21, 2013
Is
He Joshua – v2
January
21, 2013
Lofty
Words – v2
January
21, 2013
understanding
a moment – v2
January
21, 2013
Words
in Quotes – v2
January
21, 2013
Words
that Bind – v2
January
21, 2013
Words
chosen for a nation – v2
Martin
Luther King, Jr. Day
and
his final speech before his assassination
and
Inauguration of the President
Barack
Hussein Obama
Invocation
by
Myrlie Evers-Williams
Inaugural
Address
&
several
poems written in 2009
on
the juxtaposition of the
80th
birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
and
the inauguration of Barack Obama
as
President of the United States of America
January
17, 2009
understanding
a moment
January
17, 2009
Words
in Quotes
January
17, 2009
Words
chosen for a nation
January
17, 2009
Words
that Bind
and
the Presidential Oath, from the
US
Constitution, Article I, Section 1, Clause 8,
repeated
verbatim by the presidents. The only language in quotes
in
the Constitution, unlike the general principles elsewhere.
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully
execute the office of President of the United States,
and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and
defend
the Constitution of the United States."
January
18, 2009
Lofty
Words
January
18, 2009
Is
He Joshua
January
18, 2009
The
Hills of Zion
January
18, 2009
Always
Torture
January
18, 2009
The
Question
January
18, 2009
In
His Ministry
January
18, 2009
Echoes
of the Desert
January
18, 2009
Before
Martin
January
18, 2009
Choosing
the Cross
January
18, 2009
Seeing
Joshua
January
18, 2009
Forty
Years
January
18, 2009
Understanding
this moment
January 18, 2009
Radical Words
January 18, 2009
Hatred
January 18, 2009
Not Words of Weakness
January 18, 2009
Living Christ’s Words
January 18, 2009
The Power of His Words
January 18, 2009
Love Liberates
January 18, 2009
Fighting Evil
January 18, 2009
Power in His Words
&
the
message, “It’s not just a dream but a reality”
on
the sign in front of church,
the
story of Moses and Joshua,
Deuteronomy
34:1-12
Joshua
1:1-9
along
with
Micah
4:1-4
Matthew
5:43-48
the
sermon, “Love Your Who???”,
by
Reverend Huntley Halvorson,
Suncook
United Methodist Church, Suncook, NH,
and
the hypothetical put to Eric Holder, nominee for Attorney General,
by
Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) on the use of waterboarding,
January
15, 2009, during his Senate Confirmation Hearings,
&
edited
January 19, 2015
Changing
the Wind – v3
(merging
edits to original and version 2)
Edited
July 22, 2013
“changing
the wind – v2”
December 7, 2007
“changing
the wind”
Based on the comments of Jim
Wallis on
Speaking of Faith, November 29,
2007
He was talking about whether to
change politicians
or change the wind, to change
the public opinion
which guides politics. He used
the example
of President Johnson’s
statement to the
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. that it would
take 5 years for a voting
rights bill but
it actually took 5 months to
pass the Voting Rights Act,
after the March in Selma.
All of my poems and
photographs are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004,
2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015. All rights
reserved. Contact me at Ray
Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See all 40,280+
of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com
Poetry Where You Live.
