Last updated on June 10, 2022
Everything hurts,
Our hearts shadowed and strange,
Minds made muddied and mute.
We carry tragedy, terrifying and true.
And yet none of it is new;
We knew it as home,
As horror,
As heritage.
Even our children
Cannot be children,
Cannot be.
Everything hurts.
It’s a hard time to be alive,
And even harder to stay that way.
We’re burdened to live out these days,
While at the same time, blessed to outlive them.
This alarm is how we know
We must be altered —
That we must differ or die,
That we must triumph or try.
Thus while hate cannot be terminated,
It can be transformed
Into a love that lets us live.
May we not just grieve, but give:
May we not just ache, but act;
May our signed right to bear arms
Never blind our sight from shared harm;
May we choose our children over chaos.
May another innocent never be lost.
Maybe everything hurts,
Our hearts shadowed & strange.
But only when everything hurts
May everything change.
By Amanda Gorman, May 27, 2022
Ms. Gorman is a poet and the author of “The Hill We Climb,” “Call Us What We Carry” and “Change Sings.”
Nice post 😄
A very talented and mature young lady, somehow both innocent and not at the same time.
An old soul in a young body?
An exceptional poem from a brilliant poet! I’m so glad you shared it, Bridget. So meaningful.
She is amazing isn’t she. So much depth in a young person.
Amen
Thanks for sharing this very heartfelt poem from Amanda Gorman. “May we choose our children over chaos. / May another innocent never be lost.” When the choices of we the people remain in stranglehold by a minority power elite that profits from chaos, there will be no end to the killings of our children.
The people in this country are armed to their teeth. Too many have easy access to guns. If guns would be really the answer to our problem, then there wouldn’t be any shootings anymore. Sadly, the right to bear arms, an old right given by slaveowners and farmers to everybody who was like them, is now abused in so many ways. I don’t get it.
I also don’t get it, Bridget. It’s disturbing how easily our minds can be manipulated.
Not everybody’s mind. 🙂
Beautiful lines yes maybe everything hurts but we should transform the hatred into love which makes us feel alive! Thanks for sharing 😊🌹
She is an amazing poet. So young and with so much depth. Thank you for reading.
Thank you for sharing 😊🌹