If we merge mercy with might, and might with right, Then love becomes our legacy, And change, our children's birthright. So let us leave behind a cou… - Amanda Gorman

If we merge mercy with might, and might
with right, Then love becomes our legacy, And change, our children’s birthright.

In 1863, deep in the Civil War's magnitude, Abraham Lincoln declared a day of gratitude Shared by one heart and one voice of America. A proclamation for a nation in a nightmare, This Thanksgiving dared Americans To chime their thanks at a time when many believed They had no thanks to give.

We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace, And the norms and notions of what “just is” Isn’t always justice.

We lay down our arms
so we can reach out our arms
to one another
We seek harm to none and harmony for all
Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true:
That even as we grieved, we grew
That even as we hurt, we hoped
That even as we tired, we tried