Pre-Inauguration, or Head in the Clouds

 "The present is too much for the senses, too crowding, too confusing, too present to imagine."  - Robert Frost, "Carpe Diem"

"Se souvenir du passe, et qu'il ya un avenir. Remember the past, and that there is a future."  - Deborah Harkness, A Discovery of Witches

Over the past week and a half, I have transitioned from righteous rage to radical optimism to head-in-the-clouds denial. Despite the fact that this is Trump's last full day in office, that Biden's accomplished, experienced and dedicated team looks to hit the ground running tomorrow, I am scared. Perhaps because these headlines are - for once in the past twelve months - too good to be true. Perhaps because the jealous fates hover over Washington eager to snatch any joy from downtrodden Americans,  heartsick and weary of their country in disarray. 

Regardless (or "irregardless" as Senator Hawley would say) of reason, I am struggling to get my head out of the clouds this week.  In my usual weekend retreat from the news, I buried myself in a new show, "A Discovery of Witches" on Sundance. The series is faithfully based on the Lost Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness, and season one focuses specifically on her first novel by the same name. I envision Diana (lead witch) in the Bodleian Library at Oxford and magically, my troubles disappear.

Daemons, witches, and vampires are oddly reassuring characters in this strange time and I find comfort in imagining that such creatures are responsible for the tumult in the United States. Donald Trump could easily be a tormented, warped daemon whose absent Twitter powers goad him further into insanity. Melania is obviously a vampire, and Pence is a human overwhelmed by creature influence. Let's hope the good guys are bringing in a whole host of brilliant, principled creatures whose super-powers include writing and passing legislation at lightning speed and influencing humans to seek and believe truth instead of lies.

Surely it's time for the good guys to get a win, for a good witch like Diana to save the day with powers not seen in centuries. Perhaps Kamala Harris....?  But seriously now, I will breathe more easily when tomorrow is over and our new president and vice-president confirmed without one security glitch. Then it's time for all of us to dust off our own superpowers and - feet on the ground - figure out how we can use them to re-set our country.  Praying for you, Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris, and summoning any witchcrafty magic that resides in my body to protect you during tomorrow's inauguration.