This poem was recited at the inauguration of President Joe Biden on January 20, 2021. At just 22 years old, Amanda is the youngest poet to recite at an inauguration and her poem was, for many, the standout moment of the star-studded occasion.

For 7C, this gave English students the opportunity to watch a live poetry performance and explore Gorman’s language, structure and use of poetic form. They loved the rhythm of her performance; its punch and effortless use of allusion to strike home its message of unity and peace. Students in 7C compared Gorman’s work with that of Maya Angelou (a notable influence on Gorman) having previously studied her extraordinary testament ‘And Still I Rise’. There was tangible excitement as students used Teams break out rooms to discuss the two poems’ similarities. In response to Gorman’s work, 7C were given a choice of creative tasks to articulate their own voice – what the poem meant to them. Their results were sensational.

Over to 7C...

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The Beauty of Difference by Zoë Wood

Each day, suffering endures,
People judged, mistreated, shamed
Just for their colour.
Those who believe they are better
Let prejudice cloud their vision,
Hating the ones that are different.
And those who know deep down in their hearts
What is right and what is wrong,
Turn blind to these frequent injustices,
Only seeing when it is convenient,
Only making the change when it is too late.
 

The past is the past,
And it must stay that way.
This is now,
Our chance to finally make things right again.
Why should we not accept those
That have done no wrong?
Opinions should be based from love, not looks.
We must treat these people from the heart,
With kindness and respect just like they deserve.
And we must ask ourselves:
Why do we stand by when our help is needed the most?

 

We should not punish the ones that are different,
These differences set us apart from the crowd.
We should not see either black or white,
Instead, a wonderful unique community,
Every person something new to bring.
Our differences must be celebrated, not shunned;
Diversity encouraged, not ignored,
So open your eyes,
Stand up for what is right.
Our differences are beautiful;
They are what makes us truly special.

 

A Voice Called…

When the audience comes
a speaker steps up
Whether a poet, an actor or a singer

When the tide comes in
a barrier rises to the challenge
Whether a cliff, a dam or even…

A rock
A small black rock
amongst millions of white pebbles

It became a barrier
Of the tide
Of words
From the moment it was small
From the second the world knew her name
She became one of many
She is one of many

Slaves
Dreamers
And most importantly:

Voices
They may be tight but soft,
loud and relaxed but everyone,
is strong

It hears a voice called
Joy,
small, gentle as light as a feather
but stronger than the burning sun

It hears a voice called
Peace,
booming but bruised,
hurt but famous for its perseverance

It hears the soul of diversity,
whispering riddles in its ear…

I hear hope

 

 

My poem/ rap:

Life is cruel you’ll see just wait
Everything around me seems to shake
My legs are unstable I fall to the ground
But with my friend at my side
I was lost now found

But that year something had changed
A deadly disease a virus untamed
Then she started to slip away
On my hands and knees begging her to stay

She was my shoulder to cry on
Someone to rely on
She refused to give up
Maybe it was just bad luck
But I know she didn’t die alone
because he had me not in person but on the phone

And so on that day I vowed
to never be arrogant or proud
to be like her in every way
like how she would always get up and smile at the day
I shall live on the path that she paved for me
And sit in the shade under our oak tree
this is how I will remember her as the angle that she was
and what she made me

 

 

Again and Again

Again and again they say

No

Again and again I ask

Why?

Again and again

They tell me the same

Life’s not fair

You have a disadvantage

All my life I have heard those words

Life’s not fair

So why not try to make it fair?

I ask

It’s not possible

They say

You will always be different

It’s just the way life is

And it’s the way life will always be

We can’t change nature

It’s true

We can’t change nature

But

Why not change what we can?

They pay no attention

We can change some things

They laugh

Life doesn’t have to be like this

They sigh

What a difficult child, they think

They try to say it gently

What can you do about it?

You will never be able to be like other children

You cannot run, or jump, or play like them

You will hurt yourself

They think that will keep me down

No child wants to hurt themselves

They think I will give in

They don’t know me

I’m hurting now

I say

So why make it worse?

They say

They think they are clever

But they don’t understand

My body isn’t hurting

But my heart is

Would you prefer my heart to break

Or my bones?

They chuckle drily

I’m sick of arguing

Hush

They say

They walk away

Again and again

They walk away

Tired of being contradicted

By a child

Again and again

They leave me alone

Hoping it won’t give me hope

But

The more they leave me

The more I think

The more I wonder what I can do

I stare out of the window

The other children are outside

Running, jumping, laughing

I want to be like them

But I can’t

I can’t

I can’t

Can’t I?

The more I wonder

The more I know

I will prove them wrong

They might laugh

But I will work

They might crush my dream

But I will rise up again

Again and again

I will look to the day

Again and again

I will imagine their faces

When I ride the wind

Zooming out of the house

On four wheels

In a seat

In a wheelchair

Tightly screwed together with hope

Painted with determination

And covered with the varnish of satisfaction

And the triumph of achieving my dreams

Finally

So

Let them laugh

Because I know

Deep inside me

They’re wrong

And I’m going to prove that