Editor, Gazette-Journal:

I would like to compliment T.A. Leach for her occasional poems published in the Gazette Journal as "Poetic Reflections." She has addressed, in poetic mode and mood, a number of the issues that confront and comfort all of us, including those involving the forces of nature, grief, the association of friends and neighbors in the good times as well as the bad. "The Color of Freedom," published on Oct. 11, is a complementary addition.

Whether we personally have national political inclinations that are "red," "blue," or "independent," we all must share a love of freedom, the Bill of Rights, a belief that every child can succeed on the path of life with honest and unrestricted effort.

At John F. Kennedy’s presidential inauguration, now almost a half century ago, Robert Frost, "America’s Poet," stated the following:

"Firm in our free beliefs without dismay,

In any game the nations want to play.

A golden age of poetry and power

Of which this noonday’s the beginning hour."

At noonday, Jan. 20, 2013, the executive leadership of our nation will remain in the hands of President Obama or pass to Governor Romney. In either situation, it is "the beginning hour," but also a continuance of a democratic process that began eleven score and seventeen years prior. As with the birth of a baby, there is the possibility that it may signal the advent of "A golden age of poetry and power." Or at least, a period of increased employment and a more tranquil world. We all hope for the best under the circumstances. The better chance for the best is through our Constitutional system, citizen involvement, and acceptance of the results on Election Day.

William Brockner

Mathews, Va.