All votes in the Senate are by roll call in alphabetical order. A senator may pass on the first call but must respond by the second. No senator may leave the chamber once a roll call has been started.
Dear God,
Let not the softness of my “Aye”
Nor the harshness of my “Nay”
Hide the shades of gray
I see in a
Binary vote.
Dear God,
Let my resolve not soften
As I listen to debate
But keep me aware
Of my place in space
And time.
Dear God,
Let not the surprising vote
In the early alphabet
Shudder my sense of truth.
Decision is mine alone
For all.
Dear God,
Let me not take comfort
As the count piles high
The side I am on
Or the folly that my vote
Has no meaning.
Dear God,
The roll is the truth telling we
So often avoid; done too often
We may find ease with
The act of judgement
And lose compassion.
20 Feb 2016