NEW YORK (AP) – Amanda Gorman, the 22-year-old poet who revolted the United States in the inauguration of President Joe Biden last month, has once again starred in one of the country’s biggest stages, the Super Bowl.
Gorman read an original poem Sunday during the pre-holiday in Tampa, Florida. The poem, titled “Captains’ Heart,” was a tribute to three people for their contributions during the pandemic: educator Trimaine Davis, nurse manager Suzie Dorner and veteran Marine James Martin.
Gorman did not appear on the field but appeared on the field a recorded video message which combined Gorman’s reading with images of Davis, Dorner, and Martin. Gorman recited:
“We walk with these warriors,
Upload these champions,
And carry on the call of our captains.
We celebrate them by acting,
With courage and compassion,
Doing what is right and just.
While we honor them today,
They are the ones who honor us every day ”.
That Gorman brought poetry to the Super Bowl was an almost unthinkable collision of grace and brilliance. But if the Super Bowl, an annual rite of excess, was an unlikely platform for a poet, it demonstrated the extent to which Gorman has taken over the nation’s spotlight since the inauguration.
Gorman, formerly the nation’s first national prize for young poets, was the youngest person to recite a poem at the U.S. presidential inauguration. His reading of “The Hill We Climb” at the Capitol it immediately became a sensation. An illustrated book of his poem quickly approached the top of the bestseller lists. Shortly after the inauguration, she signed with IMG Models, an agency representing supermodels, tennis star Naomi Osaka, and playwright Jeremy O. Harris. This week, she covers Time magazine, in an interview with Michelle Obama.
The appearance of Gorman’s Super Bowl had been planned before the opening. He seemed to grasp the improbability of his pre-game reading, the first in Super Bowl history. And with a potential 100 million viewers on CBS television, it became a very well-attended poetry recital.
“Poetry at the Super Bowl is a feat for art and our country, because it means we’re thinking imaginatively about the human connection even when we feel overwhelmed,” Gorman said. he said on Twitter on Sunday. “I will honor three heroes who exemplify the best of this effort. Here they are, poetry and a Super Bowl like no other.