Amanda Gorman, the nation's first-ever youth poet laureate, delivered a message of the country's resilience through her poem at President Biden's inauguration ceremony.
"Being American is more than a pride we inherit. It's the past we step into and how we repair it," Gorman said.
"We will not march back to what was, but move to what shall be, a country that is bruised but whole, benevolent but bold, fierce and free. We will not be turned around or interrupted by intimidation because we know our inaction and inertia will become the future," she continued.
Typically, Gorman, who is 22 years old, said it takes her days to craft a new poem. She finished this one immediately.
"We will rebuild, reconcile and recover," Gorman said in the poem.
Some background: Gorman is no stranger to grand stages. She's recited her poetry at the Library of Congress, Boston's Symphony Hall, the Empire State Building's observation deck and all across the country, performing for such luminaries as Hillary Clinton, Al Gore and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Gorman started writing poems when she was a child, but found it terrifying to perform due to a speech impediment. Biden has struggled with a stutter, Gorman said, and another inauguration poet Maya Angelou – who delivered the poetry reading for Bill Clinton's first inauguration – was mute for several years when she was a child.