Early Obama Poem Shows Davis's Hand

Jack Cashill's forthcoming book, "Deconstructing Obama:  The Life, Loves, and Letters of America's First Postmodern President," will examine the words and stories attributed to Barack Obama.  I've followed Jack's writing on this topic for several years and interviewed him a number of times.  He convinced me early on that Bill Ayers was a secret collaborator on Barack Obama's book "Dreams From My Father."  I'm reading an advance copy of Jack's book and I'll have more to say on that as the publication date approaches in February.  But this week Jack is examining a poem that Obama is said to have written in high school:

I saw an old, forgotten man

On an old, forgotten road.

Staggering and numb under the glare of the

Spotlight. His eyes, so dull and grey,

Slide from right to left, to right,

Looking for his life, misplaced in a

Shallow, muddy gutter long ago.

I am found, instead.

Seeking a hiding place, the night seals us together.

A transient spark lights his face, and in my honor,

He pulls out forgotten dignity from under his flaking coat,

And walks a straight line along the crooked world.

Jack evaluates:

The poem, which was published in 1978 or 1979 in Obama's high school literary magazine, is not bad at all.  In fact, for a B-minus jock at a Hawaii prep school, the poem is exceptional.  The question that must be asked, however, is the one that Obama himself poses: did he actually write it?

To read his analysis click here.