Amanda: Power of Dream and the Word

Amanda Gorman didn’t just sit and dream her way to commanding power with her poetry, she took all the baby steps needed. At age 16, she founded a non-profit organisation to support poetry workshops and youth advocacy leadership skills. At age 15, she published her first poetry book “The one for whom food is not enough”. She kept paving the path by grabbing opportunities and taking challenges.

POETRY can paint pictures in our minds and also make us feel differently. It can inspire and affect us in a unique way.

During a performance, the poet speaks to her audience, giving them an insight into the inner workings of her mind. What she loves or hates. Her ideas, thoughts, and what she feels passionate about.

Performance poetry has the power to both engage our senses along with our emotions. As we watch the poetic performance, it gives us access to truly connect our minds to the poet.

The poet during a performance can choose to use metaphors, languages, or structure the poem into a developed story until the audience feel like their life was poured into that poem.

LET’s take for instance the Biden Inauguration poet Amanda Gorman; the 22-year-old, who has been hailed as the American first National Youth Poet Laureate. She is also the youngest poet with the honour of performing the presidential inauguration poem.

Before Amanda performed “The hill we climb” at the inauguration of the 46^th president of the United States, Joe Biden, she started as every performance poet with a dream.

She found her voice through poetry in third grade while also battling with a speech impediment. Yet, she didn’t allow her inability to pronounce the letter R, stop the talking drums in her throat.

Finding a role model in Maya Angelou — a poet, whose autobiography “I know why the caged bird sings” — helped to remind her that her voice needed to be heard too.

As she stood in front of all and sundry with a yellow dress signifying change and a new dawn and a red bandana on her head, which stands for revolution, and total submission to state power; her words brought hope for the future.

AMANDA Gorman didn’t just sit and dream her way to commanding power with her poetry, she took all the baby steps needed.

At age 16, she founded a non-profit organisation to support poetry workshops and youth advocacy leadership skills. At age 15, she published her first poetry book “The one for whom food is not enough”. She kept paving the path by grabbing opportunities and taking challenges.

And as people were moved to tears from her performance; and those weary from years of torment found healing in her voice, someone found their voice, loud enough to speak until they are heard.