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Richard Blanco’s Inaugural Poem: “One Today”

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Inaugural Poet Richard Blanco with the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry, Natasha Trethewey, in the Library’s Poetry Room.

Leading up to his performance at Barack Obama’s second presidential inauguration, Richard Blanco’s biography—he is the first openly gay and first Latino Inaugural Poet—was the focus of the media. Last Monday, however, Blanco finally had a chance to let his poetry take center stage. Blanco’s inaugural poem, “One Today,” was and is a celebration of the shared American experience, an experience made possible not despite but because of our diverse individual histories and cultural backgrounds.

Blanco, like all inaugural poets, was presented with a true challenge: writing an inaugural poem that not only meets the requirements of the occasion but also stands on its own merits. Any inaugural poem must adopt a form, tone, and level of diction appropriate for consumption by millions of Americans, as well as a uniformly positive view of the nation that carefully avoids explicit and implicit criticism of our government. Given these restrictions (not to mention the severe time restrictions on writing the poem), Blanco succeeds admirably at the task.

Over the course of its nine stanzas (69 lines), “One Today” offers a sweeping view of America during a single day, from sunrise to sunset. The first stanza links geographically diverse areas of the country through the image of the rising sun:

One sun rose on us today, kindled over our shores,
peeking over the Smokies, greeting the faces
of the Great Lakes, spreading a simple truth
across the Great Plains, then charging across the Rockies.
One light, waking up rooftops, under each one, a story
told by our silent gestures moving behind windows.

Each one of us, waking under “one light,” has a story tell, a set of daily routines and experiences that are the focus of the second stanza:

My face, your face, millions of faces in morning’s mirrors,
each one yawning to life, crescendoing into our day:
pencil-yellow school buses, the rhythm of traffic lights,
fruit stands: apples, limes, and oranges arrayed like rainbows
begging our praise. Silver trucks heavy with oil or paper—
bricks or milk, teeming over highways alongside us,
on our way to clean tables, read ledgers, or save lives—
to teach geometry, or ring-up groceries as my mother did
for twenty years, so I could write this poem.

In the final lines of this stanza, which to me softly echoes Walt Whitman’s catalog of the voices of American workers in “I Hear America Singing,” Blanco connects his own history—his mother’s many years working in a grocery story—to the routinized history of millions of other Americans who go to school, go to work, and sacrifice for their families.

Blanco continues the motif of “one light” suffusing our experiences in the third stanza, using it to illuminate the country’s collective hopes and sorrows through historical references to Martin Luther King, Jr., and the recent Newtown shooting:

All of us as vital as the one light we move through,
the same light on blackboards with lessons for the day:
equations to solve, history to question, or atoms imagined,
the “I have a dream” we keep dreaming,
or the impossible vocabulary of sorrow that won’t explain
the empty desks of twenty children marked absent
today, and forever. Many prayers, but one light
breathing color into stained glass windows,
life into the faces of bronze statues, warmth
onto the steps of our museums and park benches
as mothers watch children slide into the day.

Blanco’s controlling image shifts in the next stanza from “one light” to “one ground,” and with it comes a subtle shift of focus to more tactile activities, activities involving the work of hands:

One ground. Our ground, rooting us to every stalk
of corn, every head of wheat sown by sweat
and hands, hands gleaning coal or planting windmills
in deserts and hilltops that keep us warm, hands
digging trenches, routing pipes and cables, hands
as worn as my father’s cutting sugarcane
so my brother and I could have books and shoes.

By mentioning the sacrifices of his father, Blanco again weaves his family story into the shared cloth of American experience.

In the next two stanzas, the poem shifts focus from the tactile (“one ground”) to the aural (“one wind”):

The dust of farms and deserts, cities and plains
mingled by one wind—our breath. Breathe. Hear it
through the day’s gorgeous din of honking cabs,
buses launching down avenues, the symphony
of footsteps, guitars, and screeching subways,
the unexpected song bird on your clothes line.

Hear: squeaky playground swings, trains whistling,
or whispers across café tables, Hear: the doors we open
for each other all day, saying: hello| shalom,
buon giorno |howdy |namaste |or buenos días
in the language my mother taught me—in every language
spoken into one wind carrying our lives
without prejudice, as these words break from my lips.

It is not only one light, but “one wind”—the breath that both forms and carries our words to each other—that joins us as a people. Our linguistic and cultural diversity do not delineate unbridgeable differences so much as demonstrate our deeper affinities.

The first lines of the next stanza offer a return to the natural landscapes described in the first stanza:

One sky: since the Appalachians and Sierras claimed
their majesty, and the Mississippi and Colorado worked
their way to the sea.

The remainder of the stanza includes a final list of the products of our labor, before offering a more heightened image of American resolve symbolized by the Freedom Tower:

                                             Thank the work of our hands:
weaving steel into bridges, finishing one more report
for the boss on time, stitching another wound
or uniform, the first brush stroke on a portrait,
or the last floor on the Freedom Tower
jutting into a sky that yields to our resilience.

The image of “one sky” is repeated in the next stanza,  in which our eyes, and thoughts, are elevated from physical concerns to more personal, emotional reflections:

One sky, toward which we sometimes lift our eyes
tired from work: some days guessing at the weather
of our lives, some days giving thanks for a love
that loves you back, sometimes praising a mother
who knew how to give, or forgiving a father
who couldn’t give what you wanted.

In the final stanza the poem has completed its movement from sunup to sundown. It is now evening, and the moon and stars now become symbols of the shared American experience:

We head home: through the gloss of rain or weight
of snow, or the plum blush of dusk, but always—home,
always under one sky, our sky. And always one moon
like a silent drum tapping on every rooftop
and every window, of one country—all of us—
facing the stars
hope—a new constellation
waiting for us to map it,
waiting for us to name it—together

The poem’s “one” motif (“one sun”; “one light”; “one ground,” “one wind”; “one sky”) finds ultimate expression, and resolution, through the image of “one country” whose people are united by hope as we move into the future. To me it offers a fitting conclusion and message for an Inaugural poem. Please feel free to share your thoughts on Blanco’s poem in the comments.

For more information about inaugurations past, including a feature on Robert Frost’s intended inaugural poem, “Dedication,” check out the January/February issue of the Library of Congress Magazine.

History of Inaugural Poets

Five poets have read or recited poems at U.S. presidential inaugurations:

  • Robert Frost recited “The Gift Outright” (text; video) at John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural. Frost recited the poem from memory after he was unable to read the text of the poem he’d written for the inauguration, “Dedication” (text), because of the sun’s glare upon the snow-covered ground.
  • Maya Angelou read “On the Pulse of Morning” (text; video) at Bill Clinton’s 1993 inaugural.
  • Miller Williams read “Of History and Hope” (textMP3 audio from America.gov) at Bill Clinton’s 1997 inaugural.
  • Elizabeth Alexander read “Praise Song for the Day” (text; video) at Barack Obama’s 2009 inaugural.
  • Richard Blanco read “One Today” (text and video) at Barack Obama’s 2013 inaugural.

In addition, James Dickey read ”The Strength of Fields” (text) at Jimmy Carter’s January 19, 1977, inaugural gala at the Kennedy Center.

Comments (50)

  1. A well written poem centered around a day in time through the eyes of youth, family, work, and the common struggle to live in peace while carving through history as an average hard working patriot diverse in culture yet consolidating as one.

    Well done Richard

  2. Mr. Blanco was very brave in his poem–speaking to our country’s tragedies. Even though we are one beautiful country we are still one country that is learning about ourselves, and hopefully growing into something better. I loved this poem so much.

  3. Your beautiful poem is accessible and that is what makes it exceptional.

    It inspires me so I’ve printed it to refer to often. I too love the diversity in our country and believe it to be our most valuable asset.

    Thank you Richard Blanco.

  4. A poem straight from the the soul. It tells us how important the family is in our struggle to make a better life for our children.A poem that is not afraid to tell us how hard life is and the hope for a better tomorrow.

  5. For me, the title “One Today” resonates with the USA melting pot motto “e pluribus unum”, and also with Dr. MLK, Jr.’s refrain, “that one day…” The title “One Today” invites several interpretations, perhaps as many as for the poem title “One Art” by Elizabeth Bishop. I like the “silent drum” at the end of “One Today” ; for me, that felt vibration is a rhythm — heartbeat of our nation, or marching steps of our American poetry. For me, the poem’s final phrase “to name it — together” predicts the creation of an entirely new word for “Hope”, a word that emerges from a fusion of English, Spanish, and other immigrant languages. We hope (esperar), we breathe (respirate), we dream (aspire to).

  6. The perfect union of words, content, and purpose, read with eloquence, sincerety, and deference to almost all things both temporal and spiritual that make up the human being, spirit, soul, and body.

  7. I love this poem. I would love to send it to music. I am a classical composer, and could see this set with vocal lists and perhaps a small chamber ensemble of instrumentalists. How would I get permission to do this?

    • Richard Blanco notes on his official website that people interested in obtaining permission to reproduce “One Today” should contact his manager, Mark Neveu. Mr. Neveu’s contact information can be found here. I suggest you contact Mr. Neveu with your request.

  8. An august task, to write an inaugural poem in a short space of time, and he had done it good. How do you pull such a vast country together in so few lines? Richard Blanco pulled it off without going sappy or telling lies.

  9. It is three months past the date I first heard this poem and it is still in my mind and heart. It encompases all those simple things in life that we hold dear. Thank you, Richard, for your gift of saying what I am feeling.

  10. Hauntingly beautiful. It crept into my mind from time to time. Now four years later I read it again and the impact didn’t change. A masterpiece.

  11. I had the distinct pleasure of hearing Mr. Blanco read One Today in person and to meet and chat with him afterward when he was a guest at a literary festival in Tryon, NC. He was most gracious. I treasure my photo taking with him. One Today is a great poem for a great country written by a great human being. Talk about inspiring.

  12. i felt pleased with what Mr. blanco had to say in this poem he really serves the purpose of explaining what the meaning he’s getting out across to be inspiring and meaningful. to show how america starts its every day,

  13. It would have been outstanding if he had called the nation to give thanks to God our Creator.

  14. 1.-i think its a very good poem because it reflects the life of the united states citizens another thing it reflects 2.-a part i especially like in this poem is the one he writed in different languages because it show us the diversity they have in their country 3.-and another part i like is the one he says ” …hands
    digging trenches, routing pipes and cables, hands
    as worn as my father’s cutting sugarcane
    so my brother and I could have books and shoes.” because i like the mention he did to his family in this poem i think it makes it very special to his family to be mentioned in an inaugural

  15. In Richard Blanco’s poem, he describes perfectly the multicultural background of America, and provides insight to how each individual works to contribute to make the United States a great and proud nation, finally Blanco asserts about the historical references such as Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech and the death of children who won’t go to school anymore beacuse their lives are lost.

  16. 1. He used a repitition “always under one sky, our sky.”

    2. He was brave to say things as they are, since Estaos united may have many good things, but it does not take away the fact that this has another side and he did not hold back when saying the bad things about his country.

    3. His poem was written with sincerity, from the bottom of his heart, that is something that makes the poem even more special.

  17. 1. The first idea I see is the “structure” of the poem, Blanco decided to make a poem where the sunup represent the poem beginning and the sundown take part of what is the end
    2. Blanco uses the phrase “one light” to show hope towards those difficult situations through which he or had passed
    3. The poem uses the repetition on these phrases: -“one sun”; “one light”; “one ground,” “one wind”; “one sky”- to create an image about what the country really is

  18. 1; The poem was well written

    2; Talks about some things about the american history (the “I have a dream” by Martin Luther King and the empty desks of twenty children marked absent referring to a school shooting) .

    3; I like when he said “All of us as vital as the one light we move through” what I think he is saying is that every person is important.

  19. 1. repetition: One ground. Our ground, rooting us to every stalk of corn.

    2. It also says about how his dad cut the sugarcanes so he and his brother can have books and shoes, and that says that you need to be grateful for what you have.

    3. And it also says about how in the school 20 students were absent forever, making reference of the school shootings that were happening.

  20. 1. He is speaking of the country tragedies
    2. He use a lot of the literary device (repetition) (“one sun”; “one light”; “one ground,” “one wind”; “one sky”) finds ultimate expression
    3. He use the rethorical appeal that is (pathos)One sky, toward which we sometimes lift our eyes
    tired from work

  21. stars now become symbols of the shared American experience

  22. the first ide I have mr. Blanco was very brave in his poem speaking to to say in this poem he really serves the purpose of explaining what the meaning he’s getting out across to be inspiring and meaningful. to show how america starts its every day our country’s tragedies the second idea i have is that I like the “silent drum” at the end of “One Today” for me, that felt vibration is a rhythm and the third idea is that elt pleased with what Mr. blanco had

  23. 1. REPETITION “one sun”; “one light”; “one ground,” “one wind”; “one sky”

    2. saying: hello| shalom,
    buon giorno |howdy |namaste |or buenos días
    in the language my mother taught me, that is an example of multiculturism

    3. I have a dream” we keep dreaming,
    or the impossible vocabulary of sorrow that won’t explain
    the empty desks of twenty children marked absent
    today, and forever. these is refiring to a school shooting

  24. 1-the poem is written through the eyes of a child
    2-the family want to be together and in peace
    3-one song, one light, one wind, one ground, one sky

  25. 1.- A part I especially like in this poem is the one he write in different languages because it show us the diversity they have in they city o in their country.

    2.- He used a good repetition under one sky, our sky!!

    3.- This poem was written with sincerity and was written from the bottom of his heart and that is what makes the poem more meaningful and has a more special value.

  26. 1 I think its a good poem because it reflects the life of the united states citizens another thing it reflects

    2 A part I especially like in this poem is the one he write in different languages because it show us the diversity they have in their country.

    3 Another part I like is the one he says ” …hands
    digging trenches, routing pipes and cables, hands
    as worn as my father’s cutting sugarcane
    so my brother and I could have books and shoes.”

  27. -A good phrase missing 20 since it represents a big problem in the USA that are the massacres.

    -“i have a dream” was a good historical reference as it speaks of the most significant discourse in the country.

    -good days in all languages, refers to the main character of the United States

  28. 1. He said “in the morning when the sun rises” it means a new beginning for the americans.
    2. In the poem a think a key part is home,
    always under one sky, our sky. because is trying to tell us that america is our home.
    3. The poem express also his gratitud ti her mother

  29. Analaura Rodríguez:
    The most important things to me in this poem are the way is telling everything, describing, and the things it makes you feel.

    1) Tells the day, discribing anything, the beggining of the day until it ends.
    2) Make references to what happen in the past, and what is going on “empty desks of twenty children marked absent,today, and forever.”.
    3) And it also describe the sacrifices, the different cultures around the world, etc.

  30. Paola Tipa Vazquez
    1. I noticed that the poem was made in a very thought and organized way, describing what would be an American´s day, but it was so well written that Richard Blanco could include everyone in the poem (I´m saying that it showed that the U.S. is a very diverse country and I think all people could feel connected to the poem.) It also shows that no matter how different we think we are from others, sometimes experience the same things. (we feel sad, happy, we struggle, we dream, etc.)
    2. I also noticed that in each stanza he used repetition to emphasize some things, the one I noticed the most was that he repeated the words we, our, us,one, and I think that refelcts that America is the citizen´s country and everyone´s opinion counts and it´s valued. I think he made the poem with a structure that could make people feel that they participated in it in some way. (That everything in the country was theirs and not only owned by one specific person). That they all lived there together, and they contribute to the countries stability. (The poem included many perspectives)
    3. I also like that he found a way to include different historical moments (Martin Luther King´s sppech) and thing that could be seen as crutial or as a tragedy in the States (for example: the shootings). He not only talk about what could be seen as benefitial to the poem, but also the bad things that could be present in the daily bases, and are part of what the U.S. is.

  31. 1. ““I have a dream” we keep dreaming” Blanco makes reference to MLK Jr. that we need to make change, a change of good, we have a dream of an America in peace, without violence
    2. Blanco said “the impossible vocabulary of sorrow that won’t explain
    the empty desks of twenty children marked absent
    today, and forever” this tell us that there’s another history another part of America that we are never getting back, those inocent children who died in shootings
    3. “Hear: the doors we open
    for each other all day, saying: hello| shalom,
    buon giorno |howdy |namaste |or buenos días
    in the language my mother taught me—in every language
    spoken” in ths line Blanco refers to the racism an prejudice existing in US. we can live in a world without racism, expecting thatwe could live in a country of love and acceptances to everyone

  32. Emilia Castro
    1. The poem is a way to unite American people by showing the similarity of their lives, carrying similar routines, ideas, experiences and even feelings.
    2. The author takes part of the country’s history, geographic descriptions, desires and sufferings, to adopt a humane approach and show the reality of life.
    3. The author uses words and phrases that help the reader grasp that feeling of unity, like “the ‘I have a dream’ we keep dreaming” and “Into one wind, carrying our lives”.

  33. Paola Tipa Vazquez
    1. I noticed that the poem was made in a very thought and organized way, describing what would be an American´s day, but it was so well written that Richard Blanco could include everyone in the poem (I´m saying that it showed that the U.S. is a very diverse country and I think all people could feel connected to the poem.) It also shows that no matter how different we think we are from others, sometimes we experience the same things. (we feel sad, happy, we struggle, we dream, etc.)
    2. I also noticed that in each stanza he used repetition to emphasize some things, the one I noticed the most was that he repeated the words, we, our, us, one, and I think that reflects that America is the citizen´s country and everyone´s opinion counts, and it´s valued. I think he made the poem with a structure that could make people feel that they participated in it in some way. (That everything in the country was theirs, and not only owned by a specific person) It included different perspectives.
    3. I also liked that he found a way to include historical moments (Martin Luther King´s speech) and things that could be seen as crutial or as a tragedy in the States (the shootings). He not only talks about the thing that could be beneficial to the poem, but also about the bad things that could be present in the daily bases, and are part of what the U.S. is.

  34. Loreto Cruz Guajardo

    1-“the doors we open
    for each other all day, saying: hello| shalom,
    buon giorno |howdy |namaste |or buenos días
    in the language my mother taught me—in every language
    spoken into one wind carrying our lives
    without prejudice”, I liked this phrase because it made me reflect on how us, if we did not have prejudices, for example racial, gender or religious, we would be a more united society and without problems.

    2- “Thank the work of our hands”,Richard is right we have to be grateful that, although we are not working because we are students, our parents have jobs and we have to think of the thousands of people who do not have something to do

    3- “and every window, of one country—all of us—
    facing the stars
    hope—a new constellation”. I think this phrase is important because it makes us reflect on how all of us are always looking for hope in our lives and how we can all find it together, I liked how Richard Blanco expressed himself in this way, because in the end of our day we always have that hope that everything will be fine.

  35. 1- The author expresses at all country as ONE, he talks about the unity of the nation.
    2- People contribute in a certain way, so other people can reach their goals.
    3- He describes the daily life of what is being part of the United States.
    4- He uses the literary deivce of alliteration “morning’s mirrors”

  36. This poem, in my opinion is the prove of how many one person can love his country, I love the way he sees USA more than a country, but a home, Blanco uses repetition by using the word “our” to refer to the union of the people of the united states.

  37. Miranda Castillo Gutierrez
    1. Describes how the people from the United States, together, shape the country with hard work and tireless efforts.
    2. The poem also emphasizes the role which the parents play, nurturing their children to make them educated and emotionally strong, whilse also they contribute to their nation.
    3. Richard Blanco acknowledges those who work hard to earn their goods,for with their hard work, they also contribute to their country, even though not many think like that, by just watching the morning sun, they should be thankful.those who are working for earning bread, are simultaneously giving back to society. However, only a few recognize their role. If a person is seeing the morning sun, he or she should be thankful to all. Richard Blanco praises all those who recognize their dedicated efforts and contributions to their nation.

  38. 1) He is talking to everybody, he wants to make unity by descrbing an American day.
    2) He wants to make an united country, in minds, thoughts, and hearts.
    3) He give good and bad point of Unites States, but we all have dreams to chase, work lives. That americans contribute to make the nation that is today.

  39. 3 important features about the poem:
    1.He uses repetition: “My face, your face, millions of faces in morning’s…”.
    2.He uses personification:”One sun rose on us today, kindled over our shores,
    peeking over the Smokies, greeting the faces…”.
    3. He made a celebratory poem and also tragedy because he talks about school shootings ‘the “I have a dream” we keep dreaming,
    or the impossible vocabulary of sorrow that won’t explain
    the empty desks of twenty children marked absent
    today, and forever.”.

  40. Mariana Ledezma Ramirez
    1. Blanco repeatedly mentions “one sun” or “one light” or other things with the word “one” because what he means when he is saying this is that although we may not all be or look the same, although we aren’t all from the same places or have all the same ideologies, we still all live under the same sun and sky, which means we all deserve the same equality and rights.

    2. He mentions different languages in this poem, including Spanish, the one he grew up speaking. By mentioning this, he wants us to know that although there are many cultures with many different languages and beliefs, our differences do not have to mean that we should all be against each other, but instead work with each other to find and fulfill our main goals.

    3. Blanco also spoke about the hard-working people that form the United States: “Thank the work of our hands… finishing one more report for the boss on time, stitching another wound or uniform.” He mentions this because he himself has/had hardworking parents who made him who he is today and got him to this point in his life, so he wants to acknowledge all of these people, that with all their strength help build a better and stronger country.

  41. 1: he talks about the things that happen in the country, the things that happen daily.

    2: he says of the people who work daily, the people who help with the country.

    3: he says about the union of the country and he is saying little by little how the union of the country can be made, the needs, the workers who work daily, about the family and the effort of the people to be able to move forward to the country, and have a united country.

  42. 1. I loved the way Blanco expresses that Americans can form a great nation with the simple fact of joining and leaning with each other, explaining it with a simple word, “one” as they are all, “one” as they all step on the same ground.
    2. Blanco acknowledge the hardworking people in his poem and gave them the recognition that they deserve.
    3. I think this poem comes right from his heart, from his soul, and that’s something that I really appreciated.

  43. 1.- It mentions in a poetic way, how different and unique can be everyday to people, but it also enhaces that no matter how better our life is from others, or how beter we look; that doesn’t mean we have different rights or equality.
    2.- In the stanza in which he mentions ”Thank the work of our hands: weaving steel into bridges, finishing one more report for the boss on time… he meant to represent the hard work of many, who together help make the United States a better country.
    3.- Although we all do different things everyday and maybe have a very different life as well, at the end of the day we head home, ”always under one sky, our sky”

  44. In this poem he uses the possessive pronoun “our” and includes all the nation

    He says it from different perspectives like family, work, struggles,etc

    He just don’t talk about good things he talk about negative ones that are affecting the nation like school shootings

  45. 1. what white expresses comes from his heart, he puts it in such a striking way that it makes everyone wonder if it is true that together they can make the USA a stronger place
    2.He repeatedly mentions the word one and with this he represents the unity that the United States has
    3. He talks about people who work hard and I think it is very important and I like that he has given recognition to those people who with their hands have “held” America.

  46. *he talks about the value and the effort of the people in the country
    *he speech is very descriptive, about how the American people act with the others, all the things that they do to have a better society.
    *he speech also of the incredible union of the people, and how they face there problems, and they never give up.

  47. BBC

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