Praise Song for the Day by Elizabeth Alexander
The following is a transcript of the inaugural poem recited by Elizabeth Alexander, as provided by CQ transcriptions.
Praise song for the day.
Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each others’ eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. All about us is noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues. Someone is stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair.
Someone is trying to make music somewhere with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.
A woman and her son wait for the bus.
A farmer considers the changing sky; A teacher says, “Take out your pencils. Begin.”
We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed; words to consider, reconsider.
We cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of someone and then others who said, “I need to see what’s on the other side; I know there’s something better down the road.”
We need to find a place where we are safe; We walk into that which we cannot yet see.
Say it plain, that many have died for this day. Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of.
Praise song for struggle; praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand-lettered sign; The figuring it out at kitchen tables.
Some live by “Love thy neighbor as thy self.”
Others by first do no harm, or take no more than you need.
What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.
In today’s sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.
On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp — praise song for walking forward in that light.
Posted without permission.
Tepid.
INAUGURAL HAIKU
What if I just
don’t want to
Fear is
good for you
*
This was definitely the lamest part of the day.
First of all, I am the admin who posted this. I respect the opinions of Josh and ashabot, I only wish they had amplified their remarks so I might understand why they see Alexander’s poem as tepid and lame.
The poem was written for a specific purpose. I did wonder, if we have a national poet laureate, why that poet wasn’t asked to appear and read. But it was Barack Obama’s inauguration, and this is who he picked.
The poem wasn’t just for Barack, it was for the country. It is written in concrete terms so that everyone can understand it. This isn’t intended to be some academic screed that needs interpretation for the laity.
But the poem is crafted with subtly. Lines like “…take out your pencils, begin.” and
“We cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of someone…” carry both obvious and symbolic meanings.
The poem is written for people who hope, the majority of the people in this country, who voted for Obama. Many people who did not vote for him are also sharing that hope.
This poem is a verbal embodiment of the love that casts the same light it speaks of.
If you are one of the relative few who are so jaded that all hope escapes you, then I suppose this piece will not move you. You will remain where you are as others of us walk forward into that light.
David, I agree that the poem was well crafted in concrete terms with symbolism that was available to almost all readers. In fact, reading it now, I still find it
For me, it was the verbal delivery that was rather unanimated. Unfortunately, Elizabeth Alexander’s voice was very tonally limited on the PA system, for whatever reason, and forced the poem into a projected monotone, in which the line “Flight 410… to Houston… is now departing… from Terminal B. Please report… to Gate 24… in Terminal B.” would not have seemed out of place.
Ignoring the critics from the papers, it appears in normal blogs and other mentions that popular opinion is also that the poem fell flat, and I suspect that may be why. Or maybe the fact that it was so prosy in the opinion of some critics, made the verbal delivery too complex to be done in two word echoed bursts over the loudspeakers.
Thanks, Dan. I would have to agree with you completely on the delivery. I would hope that many people who didn’t hear Alexander read will themselves read her poem in print.
I find that many, many skilled and celebrated poets do a poor job of reading. Perhaps Elizabeth should have visited the website of (NEA funded) Poetry Out Loud.
I was referring mostly to the reading, which was horrible. Her choppy, artificial delivery was painful. Never again, will poetry ever be given an audience like this, and it was a true sleeper. And that’s a real shame! Because the majority of the people there, as well as watching, will not take the time to sit down and read what she wrote. And upon reading this poem, its not nearly as bad as it originally sounded. In my opinion, Obama should have asked someone like Nikki Giovanni or Lucile Clifton, someone who can inspire with both words and voices. But I recall hearing that Alexander went to Harvard, too, so I’m guessing she is prob’ly a friend of Obama’s. And as far as this not being academic? I would have to completely disagree. This is a Harvard educated woman, and a professor at a University (though I cannot remember which), and I’m sure she has multiple publications/books under her belt. If nothing else, this read to me as a piece of academic writing. Boring.
Thanks for your amplification. Regardless of whether or not the woman is educated (When did that become a negative thing?) the poem itself didn’t need interpretation for those of us who haven’t been to a university. Yes, this deviates from what was once thought of as “high poetry” where if the masses could paraphrase it, you had failed. And as I stated before, if you are so jaded that you are beyond hope, I’m sure it does nothing for you.
The poet teaches at Yale and has had five books published, all by small or university presses. Her present publisher, Graywolf Press, is preparing it’s largest run ever, 100,000 soft cover copies of this poem in a 32 page, $8 pressing.
Perhaps it will revive an interest in poetry outside the usual inbred circle of other poets.
Revive? I doubt it. If anything, I think it creates an even greater divide between those interested in poetry and those who couldn’t give a sh*t. And does it really matter if someone does or doesn’t have the ability to paraphrase if no ones listens? If there’s not an active audience? To be completely honest, you (David) are the only one I’ve heard/read who has any positive thing to say about this poem. I mean, its great that Alexander was given the opportuntiy to showcase her art on a global scale, but it was a poor representative of the art, itself. My high school guidance counselor had more inspirational poetry hanging on his office walls.