The Soul of a Country*
A Poetic Tribute to #The Amanda Gorman
©2021 Brenda Pinnick, all rights reserved. https://www.brendapinnick.com/. Used with artist’s permission
The power of poetry to inspire was fully evident on January 20, 2021. The sun shone brightly on a chilly D.C. day. But it was not until Amanda Gorman, the first “National Youth Poet Laureate,” stepped onto the stage dressed boldly in yellow, as if to capture the sunshine in one spot and hold it in place, and wearing red headband that accentuated her natural hair like a tiara, did we fully understand the power of poetry, the gracefulness of language, the cadence of rhythm caught in the sweep of her majestic hands.
I was moved. No. More than that, I was inspired!
Brenda Pinney, also inspired and mesmerized by Amanda’s graceful poetry, put her own talents to work and created this pastel portrait celebrating the hope of which the young poet spoke, and posted it on Twitter.
The minute I saw this pastel rendering of Amanda, I felt the urge to write — in poetic terms —a tribute to honor this young woman who made us forget. With gentle language and a bold vision, for a full 6 minutes, she made us forget the pandemic, the crisis of citizenship among those who are sore losers; the assault on the Capitol, our national symbol; the racial divide that seems to be widening in the face of unequal justice. This is what my heart felt compelled to say:
A Poetic Tribute to #The Amanda Gorman
With poetic fortitude,
and unrehearsed confidence,
you showed us
what we had forgotten:
that poetry is both
grace & strength;
that hurting words
can be transformed
& become healing
words,
if the right heart has created them,
if the right pen or computer has written them,
if the right cadence,
has the right lips to speak them,
words can be healing enough to forecast
the weather of an American spring, a new future for this country —
You gave us that
with your authentic #BlackGirlMagic/#BlackGirlPoetry —
Who knew?
Your words,
such precious droplets
of tiny wisdom pearls
vulnerably exhaled,
written from the heart,
fall gently upon fear, anger & pessimism
to become engraved
upon America’s soul.
You reminded us
and cautioned us:
Democracy is safe…
once more.
Though she is badly bruised
from chaotic encounters
that included
trashing of her national Capitol symbol,
she is healing and in recovery.
We the American people can breathe again —
we — the other American people — can also breathe.
We are the descendants of the many
who endured Black enslavement,
Indigenous genocide, and generations of state-sanctioned
violence, police violence, supported by incarceration or death.
We, who have felt knees on our necks & known bullets in our backs,
We, who live daily with the threat of unwarranted police scrutiny,
and “justifiable” death hanging over us,
while breathing, while walking, while driving,
while watching TV in our own apartments,
while shopping, while birdwatching,
and while just living our lives,
your words remind us:
We can B-R-E-A-T-H-E,
inhale & exhale
once more,
the sweet air of humility & hope —
conjoined twins
that should never have been separated
by surgical political precision
and white supremacy ideologies
that have dominated
this country’s moral compass
far too long.
Our dreams
of an inclusive America
have stagnated for far too long;
we have remained stranded
in democracy’s kitchen (waiting)
for far too long.
You have shown us,
through your own words rich with wonder:
“There is always a light if we are brave enough to see it.
There is always a light if we are brave enough to be it.”[1]
So, if there is truly a season
for everything,
then let this be the season
of hope & humility.
If there is truly a season
for everything,
then let this be the season
of deliberate action & accountability.
For the season of apologies is past;
this cannot be a season of political amnesia;
this cannot be a season of hollow promises;
or of political regression.
We, as a people,
for better and for worse,
must demand a different season.
We have witnessed thousands
of pandemic deaths,
have tolerated hundreds of unjust police acts,
have endured a legal system,
carved out of the fabric of white supremacy,
stretching to forgive white violence against non-whites,
and shrinking as it incarcerates us
Black, Brown, and Native people unforgivingly.
This must be the season of “enough already.”
The year 2021 must be the jumpstart
of a true age of reckoning.
This must be a season
when the democratic soul of this country,
bruised, trampled upon, and misused though it has been and is,
must come out of hiding,
acknowledge its historic & contemporary imperfections,
and strive to be better,
stronger, and lean hard into practicing
what it preaches, not just for some, but for all of us.
This must be a new season — a season for ALL.
Thank you, Amanda for reminding us with your words.
Your poetry was the magic elixir we needed
to open our eyes and recognize that this is the season
when we redeem and reclaim the soul of this country —
this is the moment, the minute, the very second
when we heal the democratic soul of a country….this country,
Our America.
© 2021 Irma McClaurin; All Rights Reserved
*A version of this poem previously appeared in Insight News, January 25, 2021
[1][1] Amanda Gorman, Two lines from “The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country.” https://youtu.be/38Rn5WULjmc ; accessed 1/23/2021
