Tag: #Inauguration

  • Amanda Gorman; Poet Hero!

    Wow! Just Wow!

    Amanda Gorman is my new hero. I didn’t know America had a National Youth Poet Laureate, but after yesterday, I am really glad that we do.

    It has been a long time, a very long time, since I heard a poem recited that brought me to tears, let alone captured everything that I have been feeling about America, our shared culture, and our shared purpose. That anyone, regardless of age, can craft the correct words, is just amazing, and so needed! I didn’t know I needed Amanda Gorman, but I now see that I needed Amanda Gorman.

    And last night, as she was interviewed on TV, I was again struck by how passionate she is about poetry and reading, and the power of words. She was inspiring, and her joy was infectious. I was also struck by the amount of research she put in; reading past inaugural poems, speeches and addresses. The way she talked about doing that work made me believe that she loved her process of creation.

    One last thing about her; I was captivated by her performance in reading her poem. The way she used her hands in conjunction with the inflection she put on her words. The rhythm of the poem, her posture, and the power in her voice, created a confluence of energy that electrified her performance.

    Just amazing.

  • Inauguration Day!

    It is a good day! Trump is gone, Biden is in. The Inauguration happened like clockwork. As it should. The tradition continues.

    I remember seeing Reagan’s at a school assembly in ’85. We also watched Bush in ’89 in our music room at my grade school. I have no memory of Clinton’s in ’93, but I saw Clinton’s in ’96 in my dorm room. I saw W. Bush in ’01 at my apartment with my roommate. In ’05, I missed it live as I was working, but caught a replay of it at a bar after work. In 2009, I watched it at the rehearsal studio I worked at, and was joined by all sorts of people who wanted to see Obama take the oath. In 2013, I opened up the business conference room so students could see Obama. In 2017, I was home. I don’t remember why I was home, as it was a Friday and I should have been at work. I watched Trump with my wife, and we were just sick as he talked about “American Carnage.”

    Today, I watched the 2021with my daughter. We watched as Kamala Harris take the oath of office, to become the first woman, African American, and Asian-American to hold that office. I am very fortunate that I was able to share this moment with the kid, as this will be the first inauguration she will remember.