{"id":1198,"date":"2021-01-21T12:30:30","date_gmt":"2021-01-21T20:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ralockhart.com\/WP\/?p=1198"},"modified":"2021-01-21T12:30:30","modified_gmt":"2021-01-21T20:30:30","slug":"inauguration-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ralockhart.com\/WP\/inauguration-day\/","title":{"rendered":"INAUGURATION DAY"},"content":{"rendered":"

Of the many historic and impactful features of the ceremonies for inaugurating President Biden, for me, the most impactful event was the stunning poem and astonishing reading of The Hill We Climb\u00a0<\/em>by Amanda Gorman, the 22-year-old first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate.<\/p>\n

I simply want to mark this by posting the link to her reading and include the text of her poem.<\/p>\n

The link: https:\/\/youtu.be\/Jp9pyMqnBzk<\/a><\/p>\n

The Poem:<\/p>\n

The Hill We Climb<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

When day comes we ask ourselves,<\/p>\n

where can we find light in this never-ending shade?<\/p>\n

The loss we carry,<\/p>\n

a sea we must wade<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve braved the belly of the beast<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve learned that quiet isn\u2019t always peace<\/p>\n

And the norms and notions<\/p>\n

of what just is<\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t always just-ice<\/p>\n

And yet the dawn is ours<\/p>\n

before we knew it<\/p>\n

Somehow we do it<\/p>\n

Somehow we\u2019ve weathered and witnessed<\/p>\n

a nation that isn\u2019t broken<\/p>\n

but simply unfinished<\/p>\n

We the successors of a country and a time<\/p>\n

Where a skinny Black girl<\/p>\n

descended from slaves and raised by a single mother<\/p>\n

can dream of becoming president<\/p>\n

only to find herself reciting for one<\/p>\n

And yes we are far from polished<\/p>\n

far from pristine<\/p>\n

but that doesn\u2019t mean we are<\/p>\n

striving to form a union that is perfect<\/p>\n

We are striving to forge a union with purpose<\/p>\n

To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and<\/p>\n

conditions of man<\/p>\n

And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us<\/p>\n

but what stands before us<\/p>\n

We close the divide because we know, to put our future first,<\/p>\n

we must first put our differences aside<\/p>\n

We lay down our arms<\/p>\n

so we can reach out our arms<\/p>\n

to one another<\/p>\n

We seek harm to none and harmony for all<\/p>\n

Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true:<\/p>\n

That even as we grieved, we grew<\/p>\n

That even as we hurt, we hoped<\/p>\n

That even as we tired, we tried<\/p>\n

That we\u2019ll forever be tied together, victorious<\/p>\n

Not because we will never again know defeat<\/p>\n

but because we will never again sow division<\/p>\n

Scripture tells us to envision<\/p>\n

that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree<\/p>\n

And no one shall make them afraid<\/p>\n

If we\u2019re to live up to our own time<\/p>\n

Then victory won\u2019t lie in the blade<\/p>\n

But in all the bridges we\u2019ve made<\/p>\n

That is the promise to glade<\/p>\n

The hill we climb<\/p>\n

If only we dare<\/p>\n

It\u2019s because being American is more than a pride we inherit,<\/p>\n

it\u2019s the past we step into<\/p>\n

and how we repair it<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve seen a force that would shatter our nation<\/p>\n

rather than share it<\/p>\n

Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy<\/p>\n

And this effort very nearly succeeded<\/p>\n

But while democracy can be periodically delayed<\/p>\n

it can never be permanently defeated<\/p>\n

In this truth<\/p>\n

in this faith we trust<\/p>\n

For while we have our eyes on the future<\/p>\n

history has its eyes on us<\/p>\n

This is the era of just redemption<\/p>\n

We feared at its inception<\/p>\n

We did not feel prepared to be the heirs<\/p>\n

of such a terrifying hour<\/p>\n

but within it we found the power<\/p>\n

to author a new chapter<\/p>\n

To offer hope and laughter to ourselves<\/p>\n

So while once we asked,<\/p>\n

how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe?<\/p>\n

Now we assert<\/p>\n

How could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?<\/p>\n

We will not march back to what was<\/p>\n

but move to what shall be<\/p>\n

A country that is bruised but whole,<\/p>\n

benevolent but bold,<\/p>\n

fierce and free<\/p>\n

We will not be turned around<\/p>\n

or interrupted by intimidation<\/p>\n

because we know our inaction and inertia<\/p>\n

will be the inheritance of the next generation<\/p>\n

Our blunders become their burdens<\/p>\n

But one thing is certain:<\/p>\n

If we merge mercy with might,<\/p>\n

and might with right,<\/p>\n

then love becomes our legacy<\/p>\n

and change our children\u2019s birthright<\/p>\n

So let us leave behind a country<\/p>\n

better than the one we were left with<\/p>\n

Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest,<\/p>\n

we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one<\/p>\n

We will rise from the gold-limbed hills of the west,<\/p>\n

we will rise from the windswept northeast<\/p>\n

where our forefathers first realized revolution<\/p>\n

We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the midwestern states,<\/p>\n

we will rise from the sunbaked south<\/p>\n

We will rebuild, reconcile and recover<\/p>\n

and every known nook of our nation and<\/p>\n

every corner called our country,<\/p>\n

our people diverse and beautiful will emerge,<\/p>\n

battered and beautiful<\/p>\n

When day comes we step out of the shade,<\/p>\n

aflame and unafraid<\/p>\n

The new dawn blooms as we free it<\/p>\n

For there is always light,<\/p>\n

if only we\u2019re brave enough to see it<\/p>\n

If only we\u2019re brave enough to be it<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Of the many historic and impactful features of the ceremonies for inaugurating President Biden, for me, the most impactful event was the stunning poem and astonishing reading of The Hill We Climb\u00a0by Amanda Gorman, the 22-year-old first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate. I simply want to mark this by posting the link to her reading and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-coming-soon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ralockhart.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ralockhart.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ralockhart.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ralockhart.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ralockhart.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1198"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ralockhart.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1199,"href":"https:\/\/www.ralockhart.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1198\/revisions\/1199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ralockhart.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ralockhart.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ralockhart.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}