Amanda Gorman is saying goodbye to the hardships of 2021 and welcoming a “new day” with a new poem shared on Instagram. The work comes as the past year comes to a close on New Year’s Eve and the world readies for 2022.
Titled “New Day’s Lyric,” the poem speaks of promise, hope and unity to come, especially after the difficulties that left many “withered,” “torn” or “battered.” “May this be the day / We come together,” it reads.
The poem is also accompanied by a video of Gorman performing the poem aloud with the same poise, passion and command she delivered when she recited “The Hill We Climb” during President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
The new work also caps off a breakthrough year for the 23-year-old literary star and first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate. In addition to kicking off the year with Biden’s inauguration, Gorman also became the first poet to perform at the Super Bowl, where she read “Chorus of the Captains” ahead of the football game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs.
She was also listed in Time magazine’s Time100 and co-hosted the 2021 Met Gala alongside Timothée Chalamet, Billie Eilish and Naomi Osaka.
Earlier this year, Robin Roberts opened up to ET about Gorman’s success. “She is handling fame exceedingly well, better than most people could, but we have to remember she put in the work,” the Good Morning America host said.
“She had things that she was doing beforehand, we just happened to get to know her, the majority of us, on January 20 and she has this mentor, Oprah Winfrey, so when you have a mentor like that, kind of shepherding you and showing you, and the fact that Amanda wants to be mentored and she wants to mentor young poets that are coming up.”
Roberts also revealed what Gorman told her about her presidential aspirations. “I asked her, are you gonna be brave enough in 2036, and she didn't even bat an eye,” she said. “She knows that's when she is going to run for president.”
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