Vote Early

As a voter who enjoys getting into the thick of election day frenzy, casting an early vote proved different for me. The general mood was calm, the citizens pleasant, the government center workers visibly tired. I dutifully filed down the hall and through the doors, waiting with the others, our collective anticipation of just who will become the next President of the United States held in check for two more weeks.

Safely ensconced into the voting corral, I held the fiber pen poised above the ballot, savoring the moment.

Lowering pen to paper, I carefully filled the oval for the man who had caught my attention four years back, whose words hushed the crowd of the 2004 Democratic convention while grabbing national attention as a voice stirring people to crash the gates locked against them.

Barack Obama.

As I inspected my work, a smile crossed my face.

I had just taken my country back.