Last week Elizabeth Alexander was tapped to write and recite the Inaugural Poem on January 20, 2009. Ms. Alexander is the fourth person to receive this honor. Robert Frost was the first poet to participate in an Inauguration. He wrote “Dedication” for the event, but the sun was to bright that he couldn’t read it, so he beautifully recited “The Gift Outright.” Maya Angelou wrote and read “On the Pulse of Morning” for Clinton’s first Inauguration. Miller Williams’ “Of History and Hope” asked many questions of the country during Clinton’s second Inauguration. My favorite lines: “But where are we going to be, and why, and who? The disenfranchised dead want to know.”
The Inaugural poem holds a special place in my heart. Keith and I attended Clinton’s first Inauguration. Listening to Maya Angelou with her voice so rich and full of love in that cold January morning with the Capitol behind her is one of the most moving moments of my life. I remember turning around and looking at the thousands of people spread out across the Mall with tears in my eyes. A poet has the chance to capture our hearts and our minds with such precision; Ms. Angelou was able to encapsulate the beginning of a new era for an entire nation.
I’m looking forward to the Inauguration for many reasons, President-elect Obama’s speech is sure to stirring, again we’re at the beginning of a new era for our country, but it is the poet who with so short a span of time can capture our yearnings and our desires and hold them up for the world to see. Ms. Alexander said she has been keeping notes and scraps of ideas throughout the campaign about the momentum of hope as the election progressed and that she’ll be looking at those as she composes her poem. I can’t wait!
UPDATE: Ms. Alexander completed the poem, except for maybe a tweak or two. Listen to her interview on 1/17/09 about the writing process.
For a taste of what we have to look forward to, her is Ms. Alexander reading “Ars Poetica #100: I Believe” which defines poetry:
Tags: poetry
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