Lo! Before the Capitol, when you took your place
Before the same-old same-old weary throng,
To see that star of timeliness in such a young face
Made me feel, for that moment, even I could do no wrong!
Amanda Gorman you made that moment shine,
Your alliteration echoing down the Mall!
My cynicism faltered on those steps and fell in line;
I thought I saw new writing on the wall.
I even dared to hope the cage would spring,
There seemed no hint of the accidental in your eyes.
So when I heard that before The Kickoff you were reading
Against all the odds eternal hope did rise,
But all I saw was that they used you. How dare
They turn your star into a common highway flare!
............
Poet's statement: Football uses warriors and discards them after they've given their all, all in the greedy spirit of American capitalism. Everyone knows this, but they don't seem to care enough to stop it. I'm sure Amanda is aware, but I thought she would use the pulpit to read a new poem more aligned with the voice she unfurled at the Inauguration, summoning the ready spirit of youth (and other youthful poets) to step it up and celebrate the possibility of bottom up rebirth of our battered democracy. In the poem I say there was no hint of the "accidental" in her eyes. In other words, that she knew what she was doing. But apparently she doesn't. She was just another trophy-pawn of Empire, another commercial. And, if she doesn't wise up, her star will fizzle like a "common highway flare".
(Article changed on February 9, 2021 at 15:14)
(Article changed on February 9, 2021 at 15:17)
(Article changed on February 9, 2021 at 16:02)
