Whitman on the Eve of Trump's Inauguration

Leslie Lawrence of WBUR (Boston) weighs in on a few choice reading materials in preparation for Trump's inauguration to the White House. In today's commentary, "If Trump Won't Give Us Inauguration Poetry, Let Us Read Whitman," Lawrence reflects on inaugural poems from prior inaugurations, from Robert Frost's appearance at Kennedy's, to Richard Blanco at Obama's. "And so, when I saw Frost on TV at Kennedy’s inauguration in 1961, I felt he was there for me as much as anyone [...] In any case, I can still feel the drama and poignancy of that moment." We'll pick up there:

Would he be able to read his poem? In the end, he resorted to reciting an old poem from memory.

It would be nearly another decade before I learned that poets could not only be living men, but living women as well. By then, I’d fallen in love with literature, so I attended two readings at my college — visits by Denise Levertov and Adrienne Rich -- neither young or glamorous but striking in their ordinary realness — as well as for the obvious respect our (male) professor granted them. Maybe I didn’t have to find fulfillment by being a muse to some man. Maybe I could be the writer!

After Frost’s inaugural appearance, four other inaugurations included poets. One, Miller Williams, came from far-off Arkansas I don’t remember him but I remember well the two African American women -- Maya Angelou and Elizabeth Alexander. I remember Richard Blanco, the openly gay Cuban immigrant, Obama’s pick four years ago. I can only imagine how many little and not-so-little boys and girls these poets inspired.

So yes, the lack of a poet matters — to me and others who, consequently, might never discover how poetry can matter. But lest I slip into the pitfalls of identity politics, I offer this alternative — piggy-backing off a friend who invites a small crowd to gather in her backyard each July Fourth to take turns reading Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself.”

Continue at WBUR.