To me the most telling moment of the Vice Presidential debate came when Biden talked about being a single parent after his wife and daughter died in a car accident that also severely injured his two young sons. I've twice ridden in an ambulance with a child of mine, so when Biden choked up, I started to choke up, too.
How did Palin react? She didn't. No murmur of sympathy, no kind look, not even a respectful moment of silence. She launched pertly right into her favorite talking point: "...and John McCain is a maverick..."
So, a poem for Biden, and for those who care.
Rispetti: On the Death of a Child
I thought I heard a knock on the door,
And I jumped up as if you were here again,
Speaking to me, as you so often did,
In a coaxing tone; “Daddy, may I come in?”
When at eventide I walked along the steep seashore
I felt your small hand quite warm in mine.
And where the tide had rolled up stones,
I said aloud; “Look out that you don’t fall!”
Paul Heyes
