When the Spirit moves in our words, we say we are "inspired." How, then, inspired today?
Hymn for the Hurting
Amanda Gorman
Amanda Gorman
May 27, 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.
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.
oooOOOooo
How then, inspired? Inspired to what end? What say these words in which the Spirit moves?
- We must be altered - We must differ or die.
- We must triumph or try.
- We must not just grieve, but give: We must not just ache, but act.
- Maybe everything hurts, our hearts both shadowed and strange, but only when everything hurts may everything change.
oooOOOooo
These inspired words are not just about guns. Not only that. They are about everything: Global warming. War as the model that defines our world. Atomic Weapons. Income inequality. Environmental Destruction. Racial injustice. Health Care For All. Housing For Everyone. Guns.
Etc.
oooOOOooo
"How Long, Oh Lord? How Long?" - Psalm 13
Image Credit:
https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2022/05/26/what-gun-used-texas-school-shooting-ar-15/9940849002/
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