Trimming Ivy

An old man steps out his front door
Only one day in each year.
Every day outside he calls his day of labor
And the sun rises in expectation.

The wall of the man’s house is lush
Ivy that creeps up sheer
Red brick heights. Annual ambush
Comes and the ivy hovers in anticipation.

On the step, the man and morning sun stand,
Encouraging the ivy’s fear,
Saw, snips and stair in hand,
Ready to insult the variegation.

The leaves desperately cling to the wall
As hands sweat, cut, and shear.
Half done, the man’s feet slip and fall.
Ivy and old man rest in amputation.

Rial

I guess I'm going to tell you how I've been thinking that voting decisions in the US seem to be made for two basic reasons (that are not unconnected). The first reason is "What's best for me" and the second is "what's best for everyone." There is an argument to be made for either side and they're certainly not mutually exclusive. The person who gives the first reason may be thinking "what's best for me and my family, which I consider to be indicative of what is best for America at large." On the other hand, I might give the second reason and my expression of that is "my vote should be used for everyone, and especially those who don't have the option of voting and therefore don't have the option of choosing themselves or everyone."

It bothered me when I was getting dinner at a restaurant near me because the owner assumed we (my roommate and I) were voting for Obama... we're young, not the worst assumption ever, but he was criticizing us saying "you'll understand when you own your own business."

I have so many problems with that statement.

He assumed that everyone makes their decision based on the first option and that somehow his representation of his own interests is more valid than my representation of my interests, which bothered me even though I did not mainly have personal interests at heart when I voted. He also assumed that Obama would be worse for small businesses and he assumed that someday I would have my own small business, which I really don't want to (unless it's a bookshop or something).

That experience aside, the saddest thing about being a college student who wants to vote "for the greater good" is that the people who should most be voting for themselves are college students. Finally given the opportunity to vote, we almost never vote based on our own interests, which makes us the least represented citizens during policy-making including younger kids because parents often vote based on the interests of their children.