G-O-R-M-A-N: Amanda’s ‘Poetic’ Moxie

2 weeks ago today, the United States celebrated another Inauguration Day–my 13th to be exact since I have been alive-even in pandemic times — it was a star-studded affair. J-Lo invited everyone to “get loud,” Garth went in for the hug, and we all went Gaga for the Lady’s giant peace dove before Michelle appeared and slayed us all in that stunning purple pantsuit!

But nothing could have prepared us for Amanda Gorman! She ascended to the podium resplendent in bright, hopeful canary yellow and crowned in regal red, and for six glorious minutes reminded us all that we are the United States of America!

A glance at Twitter during and immediately following the recitation of her original poem “The Hill We Climb” let me know I was not the only one experiencing something powerful and transcendent.

After a tumultuous season punctuated just a week before with a violent riot that breached the Capitol Building, this slight young woman, glowing with a sense of confident purpose, reminded a wounded nation that “Somehow we weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken, but simply unfinished.”