Brain Cells on Parade

I will answer your question at face value: As I was writing that one, I thought the "strange part" was that a black man was this close to being a major party nominee for president. As I was finalizing the wording for the haiku, though, it seemed to me that I should send a less obvious message. I have spoken to at least two people who were uneasy about the implications of his name or the "sound" of his name. I wanted, then, to send the message that, while his name may be strange, it is in the end merely a name and is not worthy of consideration, for good or for ill. I think it is much more valid to comment on the "strangeness" of his race, because while people will get used to a name if they hear it enough, the issue of his race will never disappear for a great many people - for good or for ill. And even if we hypothesize that his racial identity would never distort or improperly affect his judgments as a leader, it is simply a fact that he would be remembered for centuries to come as this nation's first black president - while the name Barack would probably become far more common. So I've probably just over-explained and neutered my little poem, but there it is!