海角大神

Millions of Americans experienced the power of poetry when Amanda Gorman presented 鈥淭he Hill We Climb鈥� at the presidential inauguration of Joe Biden last January. Gorman, the youngest inaugural poet, acknowledged that America is 鈥渇ar from polished, far from pristine,鈥� yet captured the hopes of many with her closing lines:聽鈥淭he new dawn blooms as we free it, / For there is always light, / If only we鈥檙e brave enough to see it, / If only we鈥檙e brave enough to be it.鈥�

A few days later, Gorman became the first poet to perform a poem at the Super Bowl. Her words honored an educator, a hospital worker, and a military veteran for their leadership during the pandemic.聽

Now, with the publication of her first full poetry collection, 鈥淐all Us What We Carry,鈥� Gorman expands and deepens her vision, gazing fearlessly at present circumstances and at the nation鈥檚 past. She imbues her work with timely, evocative language that shifts a reader鈥檚 perspective, explores hidden layers, and reveals wisdom and insight.聽

For example, in the opening poem, 鈥淪hip鈥檚 Manifest,鈥� Gorman notes, 鈥淭o be accountable we must render an account: / Not what was said, but what was meant. / Not the fact, but what was felt. / What was known, even while unnamed.鈥澛�

That observation also describes how good poetry works.聽

鈥淐all Us What We Carry鈥� is a rich, inventive collection divided into seven sections. Each section focuses on different aspects of history and the process of mourning or grappling with what has been lost.

Some of the most compelling poems deal with the losses and isolation that people have experienced throughout the pandemic. Others address injustices faced by Black Americans. In 鈥淔ury and Faith,鈥� for example, Gorman undertakes the rage that many Black people feel and how that might be channeled: 鈥淥ur goal is never revenge, just restoration. / Not dominance, just dignity. / Not fear, just freedom. / Just justice.鈥澛� 聽

Recurring phrases and images thread through the work, as do references to music, literature, art, and culture. Together, those elements help illustrate the underlying theme that we carry memory, language, and trauma with us. How we carry them 鈥� with love, anger, or unforgiveness 鈥� determines our interactions with others and our very future. 聽

Part of what makes Gorman鈥檚 poetry compelling is her understanding that stories matter and that language can cleanse or defile us. In 鈥淎nother Nautical鈥� she writes:聽

We, like the water, forget nothing,

Forgo everything.

Words, also like the water,

Are a type of washing.

Through them we cleanse ourselves

Of what we are not.

That is to say, words

Are how we are moored & unmarred.聽

As readers move through these pages, they will feel a constant, gentle prompting to discard narrow, limited thinking. They will also hear the faint echo of major poets such as Lucille Clifton, Claudia Rankine, and James Baldwin who鈥檝e stretched the genre and buttress Gorman鈥檚 distinctive, rising voice.聽

Gorman, who is still in her 20s, has elevated poetry鈥檚 prestige. She has also energized young writers, who can see themselves through her eyes and words. 聽

Anyone who heard her inaugural performance can imagine her confident, poised delivery of the poems in 鈥淐all Us What We Carry.鈥� Yet as Gorman has said in interviews, she struggled with a speech impediment until the past two or three years. Writing offered both respite and a form of self-expression. 聽

Her personal story lends credence to her observations about how difficult it can be to carry hope, and how necessary. As the title poem illustrates, 鈥渓anguage is a life raft鈥� that helps us bear and discard 鈥淥ur rage, our wreckage, / Our hubris, our hate, / Our ghosts, our greed.鈥澛�

The best of her poems are brilliant and compelling; others are uneven and feel talky or didactic. Yet all of Gorman鈥檚 experiences and insights help readers understand the importance of cultivating hope and perseverance. She instills a sense of possibilities that might just help us start healing the divisiveness in the world.