The Hill We Climb
Amanda Gorman
When day comes, we ask ourselves
Where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
The loss we carry, a sea we must wade
We've braved the belly of the beast
We've learned that quiet isn't always peace
And the norms and notions of what "just is" isn't always justice
And yet, the dawn is ours before we knew it
Somehow, we do it
Somehow, wе've weatherеd and witnessed a nation that isn't broken
But simply unfinished
We, the successors of a country and a time
Where a skinny Black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother
Can dream of becoming president
Only to find herself reciting for one
And yes, we are far from polished, far from pristine
But that doesn't mean we are striving to form a union that is perfect
We are striving to forge a union with purpose
To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters, and conditions of man
And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us
But what stands before us
We close the divide because we know to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside
We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another
We seek harm to none and harmony for all
Let the globe, if nothing else, say, "This is true"
That even as we grieved, we grew
That even as we hurt, we hoped
That even as we tired, we tried
That we'll forever be tied together victorious
Not because we will never again know defeat
But because we will never again sow division
Scripture tells us to envision that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree
And no one shall make them afraid
If we're to live up to our own time, then victory won't lighten the blade
But in all the bridges we've made, that is the promise to glade
The hill we climb, if only we dare it
Because being American is more than a pride we inherit
It's the past we step into and how we repair it
We've seen a force that would shatter our nation rather than share it
Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy
And this effort very nearly succeeded
But while democracy can be periodically delayed
It can never be permanently defeated
In this truth, in this faith, we trust
For while we have our eyes on the future
History has its eyes on us
This is the era of just redemption
We feared it at its inception
We did not feel prepared to be the heirs of such a terrifying hour
But within it, we found the power to author a new chapter
To offer hope and laughter
To ourselves
So, while once we asked how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe?
Now, we assert
How could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?
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 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
So let us leave behind a country better than the one we were left with
Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest
We will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one
We will rise from the gold-limbed hills of the West
We will rise from the wind-swept Northeast
Where our forefathers first realized revolution
We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the Midwestern states
We will rise from the sun-baked South
We will rebuild, reconcile, and recover
In every known nook of our nation
In every corner called our country
Our people diverse and beautiful
Will emerge battered and beautiful
When day comes, we step out of the shade
Aflame and unafraid
The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light, if only we're brave enough to see it
If only we're brave enough to be it
Write the lyrics for a misc song made in 2021, titled "The Hill We Climb", by artist "Amanda Gorman".