Poetry Sunday: New Day's Lyric by Amanda Gorman

One of the most memorable moments in the inauguration of President Biden last year was provided by the young poet Amanda Gorman when she read her poem "The Hill We Climb." Since then, she has published a new book of poetry that ended up on the best sellers' list, a rare place for poetry books. 

Here is her new and inspirational poem, "New Day's Lyric," in which she reminds us that "wherever we come together we will forever overcome." 

New Day's Lyric

by Amanda Gorman

May this be the day
We come together.
Mourning, we come to mend,
Withered, we come to weather,
Torn, we come to tend,
Battered, we come to better.
Tethered by this year of yearning,
We are learning
That though we weren’t ready for this,
We have been readied by it.
We steadily vow that no matter
How we are weighed down,
We must always pave a way forward.

This hope is our door, our portal.
Even if we never get back to normal,
Someday we can venture beyond it,
To leave the known and take the first steps.
So let us not return to what was normal,
But reach toward what is next.

What was cursed, we will cure.
What was plagued, we will prove pure.
Where we tend to argue, we will try to agree,
Those fortunes we forswore, now the future we foresee,
Where we weren’t aware, we’re now awake;
Those moments we missed
Are now these moments we make,
The moments we meet,
And our hearts, once all together beaten,
Now all together beat.

Come, look up with kindness yet,
For even solace can be sourced from sorrow.
We remember, not just for the sake of yesterday,
But to take on tomorrow.

We heed this old spirit,
In a new day’s lyric,
In our hearts, we hear it:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
Be bold, sang Time this year,
Be bold, sang Time,
For when you honor yesterday,
Tomorrow ye will find.
Know what we’ve fought
Need not be forgot nor for none.
It defines us, binds us as one,
Come over, join this day just begun.
For wherever we come together,
We will forever overcome.

Comments

  1. Somehow or other this seems to have the cadence of rap music to it. Who can ever forget her rivetting performance at the inauguration, and wonder whether democracy is going to survive in the United States.

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  2. i know zilch re rap, but the poem is pretty inspirational...

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    Replies
    1. That seems to be descriptive of much of her poetry. Not a bad thing. We need all the inspiration we can get.

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  3. I would love to hear Common rap this. What a hit he would have.

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    Replies
    1. That's a thought, although I'm not sure how the poet would feel about it!

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  4. What a perfect poem! I absolutely love it. :D

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  5. Lovely poem - I'm going to feature it in a few days as well. thanks!

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  6. Are all her poems so hopeful and inspirational? It's quite something her eagerness to find the light in things.

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    Replies
    1. Well, I haven't read all of them, but the ones I am familiar with do have this hopeful and positive tone.

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  7. One of the picture books that was a finalist for the Cybils this year is an Amanda Gorman poem. I feel like I soak up the hope she sends out.

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