We need presidents. Presidents are symbols. Some become touchstones for their era while others fade
from memory without glory or ignominy. But presidents must always inspire and appear as larger-than-life
representations of the best that is America. Or so we hope.

There is a pettiness to this White House that cannot be covered by charm offensives or smiling poses.
Stature is being achieved in the tearing down of others by whatever means necessary, and truth is held silent
in the false-witness and lies of the drooling mob. Strength is demonstrated by the domination of the weak.
Power is wielded through fear mongering, and leadership comes from the crack of the whip. The dead are
resurrected and manipulated in pursuit of unholy agendas and honor is attained through the purchase of royal
banners that hide the dishonest deferments of America’s brightest dreams. Stilted slogans and barbed words
wound and twist the soul and wither the heart until tolerance and hope are replaced by blind judgmental
condemnation and vitriolic coldness toward human frailty and diversity.

I don't think this is what America needs.
It's not what I need.
I need a president.

I need a president with a spirit not anchored in dogma but rather in poetry. A president who finds the
sacred magic dust that turns the sky blue or basks in the joyful music of a child's giggle. A president who
finds faith in the flow of ocean tides and the wonders of history contained in giant trees and the wildness of nature.

I need a president who does not look for God so high up, but rather in the grateful eyes of those he stoops to help.
A president who comforts the afflicted and shares the sorrow of the tormented without reproach or calculated lectures.

I need a president who is awed by the rainbow of humanity and excited by the luxuriant texture that weaves
the fabric of this culture. A president who sees beyond the labels of divisiveness and disparagement,
to the horizons of hope and inclusion.

I need a president who does not end the day with a tally of net gains on ledgers and accounts, but instead
measures progress by the weathered faces of the lost and hurting who have been drawn into the fold.
A president who understands that the price for America has not been paid only by those with access,
but also by those who could least afford it.

I need a president who gives wings to my heart and soul, letting me soar with the gods in the heavens and lifts me
closer to the goodness that makes up the human spirit. I need a president who is not trapped in the smallness of
smug self-righteousness or the stinginess of false moral superiority. I need a president who gives pride, not to the few,
but to the many. I need a president who will shield the unwashed from the slings and arrows of the unholy,
and will know the difference.

Yes, I need a president. But I must wait for now.