‘ As the world came / We have come together,’ she writes, ‘ Only we can save us.’ It is all very hopeful and empowering, yet Gorman avoids coming across as saccharine by reminding us ‘ there is no meek way to mend’ or that ‘ at times even blessings will bleed us.’ Growth is hard, progress can be painful, but the alternative is worse. And Gorman uses the harsh truths as a reminder to come together in love and understanding, that moving forward through selfishness or ‘I got mine’ mentality will lead only to chaos.

Which is the perfect time for poetry to step in and make sense of it all, even if I may not exactly be ready for pandemic poetry. ‘ This year the size of a sea / sick to its stomach’ she writes to describe the pandemic years still unfolding in the US where political tensions are at a tipping point egged on by bad faith rhetoric in the type of insidious lowest-common-denominator messaging that capitalism thrives on. Gorman’s poetry is a call to action amidst difficult times both nationally and globally. I thought ‘welcome abroad, this is the good place.’ Call Us What We Carry is the first collection of poetry by 23 year old poet Amanda Gorman, which includes her inaugural speech and so much more as she addresses the social ills of racism, gun violence, greed, selfishness, and chronicles the grief of the pandemic years, asking for unity and cooperation instead of sticking our heads in the sand to decide something is ‘ not your problem.’ Gorman is quite impressive, accomplishing so much already and this collection full of experimentation with form and bold accounting of the tumultuous present is the spark to a bright future of words and wisdom. If only we’re brave enough to be it.’ While I was thrilled to see poets included in an inauguration again after being denied by the previous administration, it was also wonderful to see how many people were touched by her words and suddenly excited by poetry. ‘ There is always light,’ she read ‘ if only we’re brave enough to see it.

The poetry world was given quite a boost on Jan 20th, 2021 when poet Amanda Gorman took the stage at the Presidential Inauguration. ‘ To Begin again / Isn’t to go backwards, / But to decide to go.’ **Winner of the 2022 Goodreads Choice Award for Poetry**

The hill we climb and other poems