Amanda Gorman is an icon these days. She’s everywhere. Even at the Super Bowl. While I didn’t care much for the game, I do care about poetry and am enthralled by Amanda Gorman.
For writing time Monday morning, I showed this video of her performance. At first we just watched and listened. Then my students and I collected word groups. Amanda not only writes with rhyme and rhythm, she also plays with the inner sounds of words. Here are a few of the groups we collected:
| captain action impact | need lead exceeding succeed | expectation limitation uplifting |
| wound warfare warrior share | nonstop hot spots laptops workshops | acting courage compassion |
| charge champions carry call captain | neighbors leaders educators healers | schools tools |
Chloe said “Her tongue’s a trampoline.” I grabbed that line as a first line to this poem.
Amanda
Her tongue’s a trampoline!
Margaret Simon, draft
Words bouncing,
beginning a charge
for compassion,
acting,
not reacting
with a force
for choice. Nonstop
flips and jumps,
swinging above expectations
with a landing,
a bow,
and branding
a voice for now,
an example of how,
Amanda amps the vow–
Wow!
Reflections on the Teche 
Wow–love this! We spent a week studying Amanda’s inauguration poem, so I too was excited to hear her perform at the Super Bowl. Your activity with collecting and grouping words is excellent! I love Chloe’s line! And your draft–amazing! Thanks for sharing!
You nailed it! Your ending!!
Thank you for sharing your process and poem. Your words are inspirational as well!
I love your poem, Margaret! Amanda was the best part of this year’s Super Bowl, and I’m so glad to see students studying her work. I agree with Chloe- Her tongue’s a trampoline!
I love the word gathering your students did with you. It’s a powerful process. Your poem spoke to me with “beginning a charge for compassion.”
Chloe selected the perfect phrase for Amanda’ poetry. Her tongue is a trampoline! Great beginning and images for your poem, Margaret.
Margaret, Amanda’s poem was a super bowl crowd pleaser, especially for the poetry community. Chloe penned the right term, “Her tongue’s a trampoline” and you built on that with a poem of quick movement and passion.
Margaret, when I looked at Amanda’s inaugural poem and realized all the alliteration, consonance, assonance, repetition, and internal rhyme she wrote in it, I was even more impressed with her! It’s wonderful that you studied Amanda’s new poem from the Super Bowl with your students. Great activity! I also agree with Chole’s statement, “Her tongue’s a trampoline.” What a great poem you wrote from Chole’s line at the beginning! Your following lines really spoke to me, ” Words bouncing,
beginning a charge/for compassion,” and “flips and jumps, swinging above expectations/with a landing.” Love all your rhyme, alliteration, consonance, and assonance!
Margaret, I love this tribute to Amanda! I too love her poetry. Your students are so blessed to have you as a teacher and mentor.
Fantastic tribute – I love all the attention poetry is getting especially among the younger generations, because of Amanda. I included it in an article I wrote for pd this week. Astute observation – “her tongue’s a trampoline!” Those internal rhymes give her poetry such lilt and rhythm … clearly the lines are meant to be read aloud. The ear is vital to poetry, as much as to music. Love the rhythms in your poem also – so energizing.