CLEVELAND — Amanda Gorman is America's first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate. At just 22 years old, she captured hearts and minds across the country with her performance at yesterday's presidential inauguration.
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One of those inspired, is our own spoken word artist and storyteller Chris Webb. So moved by her message, he shares this response with us, in his own words:
A yellow pea-coat, and red head wrap, and large ring on her right hand
On a day filled with firsts, and breakthroughs, she made history again
Crafting words like beams of light she shone a flashlight to this country
And used boldness, grace, and wisdom to speak beautifully, and bluntly
With skin dark like evening sand, and confidence so calm, and wonderous
With a voice like measured reason and a smile like my lil cousins
Riot flames have not yet cooled, she stood and stared into that smoke
And gave each weak spirit with tired eyes a needed slice of hope
You saw a poet, but I saw dreams for a million young black women,
Saw the bar raise for each young girl with this new era beginning
I saw Maya Angelou, saw passion for Breonna Taylor
Saw shackles shatter, ceilings break, and history find new flavor
I saw words find ears and hearts across a broken, tired land
Between her, Kamala, and Michelle, black women soared with command
She did what poetry should do, pierce hearts, move hate, and open minds
Exactly what our spirits need in these pain-filled, divided times
At 22, life still anew, she welcomes us to find our voices
To speak truth to power and be unashamed to make new choices
To hope again in this climate, to dream again in this land
To rise again with tired legs until you find the strength to stand
To follow dreams, they are not dead, your heartbeat tells a different story
If you feel stuck, don’t despair, it just makes for a richer journey
Know that hope is not broke down, whether it’s bright, silent, or storming,
Find your voice, and speak until things change, just like Amanda Gorman