AS CLOSE TO BOTH POETRY AND PRAYER AS YOU CAN POSSIBLY COME.
AND WE’RE GOING TO FINISH WITH
THOSE TWO THINGS.
LET ME INTRODUCE AMANDA GOREMAN,
OUR NATION’S FIRST-EVER NATIONAL
POET LAUREATE.
POET LAUREATE. AMANDA GORDON, OUR NATION’S
FIRST EVER POET LAUREATE.
>> MR. PRESIDENT, DR. BIDEN, MADAM VICE PRESIDENT, MR.
EMHOFF, AMERICANS AND THE WORLD.
ONE DAY COMES WE ASK OURSELVES,
WHERE CAN WE FIND LIGHT IN THIS
NEVER-ENDING SHADE, THE LOST WE
CARRIE AT SEA, WE MUST WADE, WE
BRAVED THE BELLY OF THE BEAST.
WE’VE LEARNED THAT QUIET ISN’T
ALWAYS PEACE.
ALWAYS PEACE. AND THE NORMS AND NOTIONS OF
WHAT JUST IS, ISN’T ALWAYS
JUSTICE.
JUSTICE. AND YET THE DAWN IS OURS BEFORE
WE KNEW IT, SOMEHOW WE DO IT,
SOMEHOW WE WEATHERED AND
WITNESSED, A NATION THAT ISN’T
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.
FOR ONE. AND YES, WE ARE FAR FROM
POLISHED, FAR FROM PRISTINE, BUT
THAT DOESN’T MEAN WE ARE
STRIVING TO FORM A UNION THAT IS
PERFECT.
PERFECT. WE ARE STRIVING TO FORGE A UNION
WITH PURPOSE.
WITH PURPOSE. TO COMPOSE A COUNTRY COMMITTED
TO ALL CULTURES, COLORS,
CHARACTERS, AND CONDITIONS OF
MAN.
MAN. AND SO WE LIFT OUR GAZE, 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.
DIFFERENCES ASIDE. WE LAID DOWN OUR ARMS SO WE CAN
REACH OUT OUR ARMS TO ONE
ANOTHER.
ANOTHER. WE SEEK NONE TO HARM AND HARMONY
OF ALL.
OF 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 WILL FOREVER BE TIED
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER. VICTORIOUS.
VICTORIOUS. NOT BECAUSE WE WILL NEVER AGAIN
KNOW DEFEAT.
KNOW DEFEAT. BUT BECAUSE WE WILL NEVER AGAIN
SOW DIVISION.
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 WE’RE TO LOOK UP TO OUR OWN
TIME, THEN VICTORY WON’T LIGHTEN
THE BLADE BUT IN ALL OF THE
BRIDGES WE’VE MADE, THAT IS THE
PROMISE BLADE, THE HILL WE
CLIMB, IF ONLY WE DARE IT,
BECAUSE BEING AMERICAN IS MORE
THAN A PRIDE WE INHERIT.
IT’S THE PAST WE STEP INTO.
AND HOW WE REPAIR IT.
WE’VE SEEN A FORCE THAT WOULD
SHATTER OUR NATION, RATHER THAN
SHARE IT.
SHARE IT. WOULD DESTROY OUR COUNTRY IF IT
MEANT DELAYING DEMOCRACY.
IN THIS EFFORT, VERY NEARLY
SUCCEEDED.
SUCCEEDED. BUT WHILE DEMOCRACY CAN BE
PERIODICALLY DELAYED, IT CAN
NEVER BE PERMANENTLY DEFEATED.
IN THIS TRUTH, IN THIS FAITH, WE
TRUST, FOR WELL WE HAVE OUR EYES
ON THE FUTURE, HISTORY HAS ITS
EYES ON US.
THIS IS THE ERA OF JUST
REDEMPTION.
REDEMPTION. WE FEARED THE DECEPTION, WE DID
NOT PREPARE 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.
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.
WHOLE. BE
BE BENEVOLENT BUT BOLD.
FIERCE AND FLEE.
WE WILL NOT BE TURNED AROUND OR
INTERRUPTED BY INTIMIDATION.
BECAUSE WE KNOW OUR IN ACTION
AND INERTIA WILL BE THE
INHERITANCE OF THE NEXT
GENERATION.
GENERATION. OUR BLUNDERS BECOME THEIR
BURDENS.
BURDENS. BUT ONE THING IS CERTAIN.
IF WE MERGE MERCY WITH MIGHT AND
THE MIGHT WITH LIGHT, THE LOVE
BECOMES OUR LEGACY, AND CHANGE
OUR CHILDREN’S BIRTH RIGHTS.
SO LET’S LEAVE BEHIND A COUNTRY
BETTER THAN THE ONE WE WERE LEFT
WITH, EVERY BREATH, FROM A BROND
POUNDED CHEST, WE BLAZE THIS
WOUNDED WORLD INTO A WONDROUS
ONE, WE WILL RISE TO THE GOLDEN
HILLS OF WEST, WE WILL RISE IN
THE WIND SWEPT NORTHEAST WHERE
OUR FOREFATHERS FIRST REALIZED
REVOLUTION, WE WILL RISE IN THE
LAKELAND CITIES OF THE
MIDWESTERN STATES AND RISE TO
THE SUN BAKED SOUTH, WE WILL
REBUILD, RECONCILE AND RECOVER,
AND EVERY KNOWN NOOK OF OUR
NATION AND EVERY CORNER CALLED
OUR COUNTRY, OUR PEOPLE DIVERSE,
IS BEAUTIFUL, WILL EMERGE
BATTERED AND BEAUTIFUL, AND WHEN
THE DAY COMES WE STEP OUT OF THE
SHADE OF FLAME AND UNAFRAID, THE
NEW DAWN BLOOMS, AS WE FREE IT.
FOR THERE IS ALWAYS LIGHT.
IF ONLY WE’RE BRAVE ENOUGH TO
SEE IT.
SEE IT. IF ONLY WE’RE BRAVE ENOUGH TO BE
IT.
IT. [ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
>> WOW.
>> WOW. HOW’S THAT FOR A NATIONAL DEBUT?
MOST OF US WILL REMEMBER WHEN WE
HEARD JOE BIDEN TAKE THE OATH OF
OFFICE, GIVE HIS INAUGURAL