Canvassing for Obama
by David Radavich
Talking to total strangers
on their doorstep
on a bright
Saturday afternoon,
I am the tall alien
of social politics
calling forth
issues and debates
in the faces
of neighbors who
never trade words
about their country.
Here we are
vulnerable as eggs
breaking into
different worlds.
We melt
after greeting
sky and sun,
candidate on cue,
you are
the unknown
American voice,
diverse as birds.
For all the risk,
sweat, and fatigue,
the price is small:
recognizing
the other
at the threshold
along streets
nobody walks.