Hope for a safe election

Photo by Unsplash.

Oct. 27, 2026

By Sue Shaw

I have a very heartfelt hope

That comes from deep inside.

Hope for a safe election

As on Tuesday we decide

The candidates and issues.

We get to vote and choose,

What happens to our country...

Who will win and who will lose

I have a hope that wisdom guides us

As we make important choices.

And that law protects the processes

As the people raise their voices.

I hope that every polling place

Is safe from force...intimidation... 

As we the people, shape the future

Of this beloved nation! 

This land where we can write our thoughts...

Speak our minds free from fear

Where we can have our own opinions 

And the rule of law is clear! 

I hope that everyone can vote--

Safely make their choices

No matter color of their skin

Or accent in their voices!

These hopes should be but givens here--

Here in this great free land...

And Tuesday I sincerely hope 

The rule of law will stand!  

- Shaw is a poet who lives in Penobscot.

The Rising Tide welcomes artistic endeavors from our community and showcases them here in our “Create” section. If you have something you’d like to submit—a poem, a picture of a painting, a photograph, a music recording, etc—send it to info@risingtide.media. We’d love to publish it and give you an audience for your creativity.