This morning we woke before dawn and walked into the city on a tide of people like us in myriad possible ways flowing in from every direction.

We watched the sun rise over the monuments with what felt like the entire rest of our generation.

We waited, and were nice to each other, and sang.

We watched the first among us assume our leadership. We felt viscerally our role as townspeople, as witnesses. We were there to see it done.

We have cried watching Obama victories, losses, speeches, endorsements, commercials, on TV, I have personally cried listening to the man on the radio, but on this one occasion, in this place, there were no tears, only trumpets and cheering.

We listened to some bad poetry. We realized just how very cold we were. Then we walked home on the highway, in a slow river that divided into streams and then rivulets but remained lively all the way to our front door.

We don't know what's next, but we know it's starting, and I'm glad we were there.