One of the most emotional and unforgettable moments of President Joe Biden's inauguration was starred by Amanda Gorman, just 22 years old, as she became the youngest poet to serve in a presidential inauguration since 1961.
With strength and poise, Gorman told the world,
"Even when we cried, we grew up,"
reciting a poem of his own.
[Follow Joe Biden's inauguration as the 46th President of the United States]
A native of Los Angeles, the nation's first young poet laureate told the Associated Press that when the Capitol storming occurred two weeks ago, she had just over half the poem written.
The assault provided the inspiration to finish it.
The violent event was not ignored by Gorman, although he had no need to mention it.
His words were combined with a
hopeful message
, but also included the "evident discord and division" in the country.
“What I really aspire to do in the poem is to be able to use my words to imagine a way that our country can still come together and can still heal.
He is doing it in a way that does not erase or neglect the harsh truths that I believe America needs to reconcile with, "he told The New York Times.
And so he did, in a poem that reads: “We have seen a force that would destroy our nation instead of sharing it, it would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy.
And this effort was very close to achieving it.
But although democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated. "
Amanda Gorman is the youngest poet to serve in a presidential inauguration since 1961.
Gorman made reference to Holy Scriptures and to fragments of speeches by John F. Kennedy and to Martin Luther King Jr. He began his intervention by asking:
"Where can we find light in this endless gloom?"
.
He used his own poetry and life story as an answer.
“We have learned that tranquility is not always peace.
And the norms and notions of what is fair, is not always justice, "he recited the poem entitled
The Hill We Climb
('The mountain we climb')." And yet the dawn is ours before we know it .
Somehow we do.
Somehow we have witnessed
a nation that is not broken, but simply unfinished
. "
["A speech of unity and with a lot of contrast to that of Trump": the analysis of Biden's words]
Groman's captivating poem was celebrated by those present at the ceremony and by those who watched from their screens in the distance.
The actor and playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda, from a Puerto Rican family, wrote to her via Twitter
"you were perfect"
, after she asked him if he had noticed the references he made in the poem to Hamilton, the successful musical of his authorship.
For her part, Oprah Winfrey assured on her Twitter account that "she had never been so proud to see another woman rise" and told her that she thought the late poet Maya Angelou - the one in charge of reciting at the inauguration of Bill Clinton in 1993 - he was smiling when he saw her.
Gorman also received praise from Democrat Stacey Abrams, who tweeted: "Amanda Gorman's message inspires us all."
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Gorman
was recommended by the first lady, Dr. Jill Biden, to write the inaugural poem after witnessing one of her readings at the Library of Congress.
In addition to her many accolades, the poet wrote a text for the July 4 celebration with the Boston Pops Orchestra, a tribute to black athletes for Nike, and has been featured on the MTV channel.
Now, the young woman is now part of a historical list of poets who have participated in the inauguration, such as Maya Angelou, Robert Frost, Miller Williams, Elizabeth Alexander and Richard Blanco.
To gauge the impact today's reading could have on his career, Angelou's poem "On the Morning Pulse" for Clinton's inauguration sold more than 1 million copies, according to ABC News.
This year, the poet will
publish her first two books
: an illustrated edition of her inaugural poem and an illustrated text entitled 'Change Sings'.
With information from NBC News, The New York Times, The Associated Press, ABC News.