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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Hill We Climb, by Amanda Gorman.
The Hill We Climb
Amanda Gorman
When day comes we ask ourselves,
where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
The loss we carry,
a sea we must wade
We've braved the belly of the beast
We've learned that quiet isn't always peace
And the norms and notions
of what just is
Isnt always just-ice
And yet the dawn is ours
before we knew it
Somehow we do it
Somehow we've weathered and witnessed
a nation that isnt broken
but simply unfinished
We the successors of a country and a time
Where a skinny Black girl
descended from slaves and raised by a single mother
can dream of becoming president
only to find herself reciting for one
And yes we are far from polished
far from pristine
but that doesnt mean we are
striving to form a union that is perfect
We are striving to forge a union with purpose
To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and
conditions of man
And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us
but what stands before us
We close the divide because we know, to put our future first,
we must first put our differences aside
We lay down our arms
so we can reach out our arms
to one another
We seek harm to none and harmony for all
Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true:
That even as we grieved, we grew
That even as we hurt, we hoped
That even as we tired, we tried
That well forever be tied together, victorious
Not because we will never again know defeat
but because we will never again sow division
Scripture tells us to envision
that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree
And no one shall make them afraid
If were to live up to our own time
Then victory wont lie in the blade
But in all the bridges weve made
That is the promise to glade
The hill we climb
If only we dare
It's because being American is more than a pride we inherit,
its the past we step into
and how we repair it
Weve seen a force that would shatter our nation
rather than share it
Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy
And this effort very nearly succeeded
But while democracy can be periodically delayed
it can never be permanently defeated
In this truth
in this faith we trust
For while we have our eyes on the future
history has its eyes on us
This is the era of just redemption
We feared at its inception
We did not feel prepared to be the heirs
of such a terrifying hour
but within it we found the power
to author a new chapter
To offer hope and laughter to ourselves
So while once we asked,
how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe?
Now we assert
How could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?
We will not march back to what was
but move to what shall be
A country that is bruised but whole,
benevolent but bold,
fierce and free
We will not be turned around
or interrupted by intimidation
because we know our inaction and inertia
will be the inheritance of the next generation
Our blunders become their burdens
But one thing is certain:
If we merge mercy with might,
and might with right,
then love becomes our legacy
and change our childrens birthright
So let us leave behind a country
better than the one we were left with
Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest,
we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one
We will rise from the gold-limbed hills of the west,
we will rise from the windswept northeast
where our forefathers first realized revolution
We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the midwestern states,
we will rise from the sunbaked south
We will rebuild, reconcile and recover
and every known nook of our nation and
every corner called our country,
our people diverse and beautiful will emerge,
battered and beautiful
When day comes we step out of the shade,
aflame and unafraid
The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
if only were brave enough to see it
If only were brave enough to be it.
cilla4progress
(24,736 posts)Really wanted to see this in writing.
I also think it would be wonderful, set to music!
luv2fly
(2,475 posts)She was fantastic... articulate, funny, humble, and a huge fan of James as well. He is clearly an admirer of her also, it was a great interview.
applegrove
(118,677 posts)Brother Buzz
(36,440 posts)Dr Jill Biden connection at 3:07
AnotherDreamWeaver
(2,850 posts)winstars
(4,220 posts)You can watch her growth.
Her Mom is a 6th grade English teacher in Watts CA. She graduated from Harvard in spring of 2020, with degrees in Sociology and Spanish. She has a fraternal twin sister who is a filmmaker who graduated from UCLA. She said her and her sister were "born early" (premies?) which contributed to her speech impediment.
She is running for President in 2036!!!
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gademocrat7
(10,659 posts)A beautiful poem! Amanda Gorman is an inspiration to us all.
TexasLefty29
(190 posts)lisa58
(5,755 posts)FirstLight
(13,360 posts)I love this young woman and her talent!
zipplewrath
(16,646 posts)I was watching it live, and I was drawn in by her delivery. Really, the best view was from a profile position because the microphones didn't block her as much.
nolabear
(41,984 posts)It cant really be complete on the page because shes part of the art, but I do think it bears being read and lived for its craft. Nothing is there by accident, from the internal rhyme, to the cadence, to the repetition, to the imagery. Shes very good at the genre. I love her!
Brother Buzz
(36,440 posts)Amanda's speech impediment is evident in 2017, but like President Joe Biden, she's mostly overcome it today.
How Poetry Comes to Me
by Gary Snyder
It comes blundering over the
Boulders at night, it stays
Frightened outside the
Range of my campfire
I go to meet it at the
Edge of the light
abqtommy
(14,118 posts)the poetry of Maya Angelou and seeing her recite in the movie Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion. Now I'll
also remember Amanda Gorman. I say and write their names. So should we all.
nolabear
(41,984 posts)that addresses social issues beautifully, that speaks for the seldom heard, or the seldom taken seriously. And its great work. As Ive said, Im a fan of spoken word. I do spoken word, and have numerous poet friends who do. Its right down there in the roots of life. As it should be.
Dem2theMax
(9,651 posts)Much appreciated.