"Call Us What We Carry" by Amanda Gorman

I was gifted this book by my choir director a couple years ago. I don’t remember the occasion, but I do remember how highly my choir director recommended it. Amanda Gorman is the youngest poet to write and read her work at a presidential inauguration. The poem she read in 2021 culminates this book in a passionate anthem of hopeful determination.

To call this book “timely” would imply better and worse times to read these poems. From the moment the United States was stolen and founded to every day thereafter is an appropriate time to read Gorman’s work. She demonstrates the cyclical nature of history and human reaction through an incredibly constructed narrative that causes you to stumble over your own assumptions. That is, if you are willing to listen to her words.

I recommend that if you read this work, you do so with the understanding that it is a singular work composed of many poems. They are not segregated from each other, compiled from various corners of her poetic brain. They are each a step on a journey from cover to cover. And every poem is heavy laden with research and references. Some poems come with a note in the back explaining the poem’s construction or offering an explanation for use of certain words or phrases. Mark the notes and use them as you read, poem by poem. Context is necessary and the lengths to which Gorman goes to illuminate history need to be respected. Do not skip the notes. Do not.

Read with an open heart and mind. Read with empathy and selflessness. Read with ample time. Then read it again.

We will not be turned around, Or interrupted by intimidation, Because we know our inaction and inertia Will be the inheritance of the next generation Our blunders become their burdens. But one thing is certain: If we merge mercy with might, and might with right, Then love becomes our legacy And change, our children’s birthright. -Amanda Gorman