Bas Relief in 21 Lines.

* I am older than my mother’s right to vote. * She was first allowed to cast a ballot in the State of Kansas in the late 1960’s. * She took me along with her that day - she wore a Sunday church outfit and dressed me in a little suit, bow tie, and cap. * There is a photo of that somewhere…she is standing alert and proud, accompanied by what looks like a leprechaun made entirely of chocolate. * My mother’s federal and state right to vote, legally, predated her actual opportunity to do so in her hometown. * That is to say, my mother’s federal and state right to vote, legally, predated her actual opportunity to do so safely and unchallenged. * At every opportunity she has had to vote since that time, my mother has risen before sunrise, gotten a quick breakfast, and been nearly first in line at her local polling center. * The point is not that her candidates always win. * Her win is the voting itself.—————————————————— * I rarely write about current events, as in its purest form this collection of essays is a compendium of general stories for my daughter: a now admittedly voluminous grimoire of family tales, hopefully more whimsical than cautionary. * But today I feel illuminated by the twilight rays of a new dawn of faith in human beings - that when given very clear options more might choose empathy and harmony over cruelty and control. * This bright perspective was evidenced by the majority’s choice of civic leadership in the most recent election. * My wife scheduled us to vote on Halloween, so I left with not only a sense of pride, but a spooky sticker as well. * I’m giving my daughter that voting sticker. * I want to place a surveying flag in this moment to better allow mapping of civic engagement from here, back to my mother, back to my grandfather. * When my daughter first votes, I want her to clearly understand the longitude, latitude, and elevation of THAT moment. * I hope to accompany her, as a somewhat less delicious companion than I was for her grandmother. —————————————————— * “Bas relief” is a sculptural style where a subject extends gently from a flat surface. * The beautiful three dimensional effect it creates is subtle, hinting at greater perspective. * A friend asked if I felt the recent election results made me less incredibly tense about the state of the world. * I considered how I actually felt and decided I was bas relieved - a feeling beautiful, yet subtle, hinting at a greater perspective. Get full access to :lowerblackpain at lowerblackpain.substack.com/subscribe