Here’s what the Inaugural poetry form is:
An inaugural poem is a subtype of occasional poetry.
It’s read during an inauguration of a new president.
Only three American presidents have poets read an inaugural poem at their inaugurations thus far.
Kennedy, Clinton, and Obama were leaders known to be appreciative of literature.
So if you want to learn all about the Inaugural poetry type, then you’ve come to the right place.
Keep reading!
Forms of Poetry: Inaugural Poems
Inaugural poems are a subset of occasional poems written specifically to celebrate the inauguration of a new president.
The practice is relatively new and there have thus far only been six inaugural poems presented in United States history
Inaugural poems, as the name would suggest, are written to celebrate a presidential inauguration.
Welcoming a new regime is always a big moment in history for any country, and the United States tends to celebrate these inaugurations as key historic events.
Inaugural poets are not to be confused with poet laureates, a separate position of honor granted by the Library of Congress.
Basic Properties of Inaugural Poetry
| Rhyme Structure | None |
| Meter | None |
| Origin | United States, 20th century |
| Popularity | Mainly popular in the United States |
| Theme | Celebrating a presidential inauguration |
Inaugural Poems in the United States
| Name of Poet | Election | Name of Poem |
| Robert Frost | Kennedy, 1961 | “The Gift Outright” |
| Maya Angelou | Clinton, 1993 | “On the Pulse of Morning” |
| Miller Williams | Clinton, 1997 | “Of History and Hope” |
| Elizabeth Alexander | Obama, 2009 | “Praise Song for the Day” |
| Richard Blanco | Obama, 2013 | “One Today” |
| Amanda Gorman | Biden, 2021 | “The Hill We Climb” |
History of Inaugural Poems
It should be noted that only four presidents have invited poets to read at their inaugurations.
John F. Kennedy (inaugurated in 1961), Bill Clinton (1993 and 1997), Barack Obama (2009 and 2013), and Joe Biden (2021) are the only presidents who have thus far integrated poetry into their inaugural celebrations.
As such, the United States has only ever had a total of six official inaugural poems, making this one of the rarest categories of poems in world history.
The six poets who presented inaugural poems were Robert Frost, Maya Angelou, Miller Williams, Elizabeth Alexander, Richard Blanco, and Amanda Gorman.
While inaugural poems are not necessarily a partisan tradition, it is noteworthy that all four presidents to have featured inaugural poems in their celebrations were Democrats.
Example of an Inaugural Poem
from Praise Song for the Day by Elizabeth Alexander
Some live by love thy neighbor as thyself,
others by first do no harm or take no more
than you need. What if the mightiest word is love?
Love beyond marital, filial, national,
love that casts a widening pool of light,
love with no need to pre-empt grievance.
In today’s sharp sparkle, this winter air,
anything can be made, any sentence begun.
On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp,
praise song for walking forward in that light.
Gorman’s poem is completely unlike the previous example but was appropriate for the timing.
The Trump vs Biden presidential election represented one of the most bitter and aggressive rivalries between candidates in American history and there were very real concerns that the country might split in the aftermath.
Instead of shying away from those tensions, Gorman’s poem seems to pointedly announce that a dark era in the nation’s history has ended, firmly planting her feet as an opponent of the preceding regime.
A poem like this would have been wildly inappropriate for nearly every other election in history, but it felt right at home in the tense political climate of 2021.
Key Features of Inaugural Poems
Inaugural poems are typically written to promote patriotism and usher in the coming of a new era under new leadership.
They are as much a celebration of the country’s history as they are a celebration of the country’s future and are often more geared at praising America itself than the new president.
Inaugural poems tend to read more like speeches or prose poems than traditional or lyric poetry.
Also, its practice is too new and too rare to say that any conventions have been set in stone yet.
One defining feature of inaugural poems is that they are occasional poems, written for that one occasion and for the audience that will be present on the day of the delivery.
As such, inaugural poems are free to explore contemporary topics with little regard for how applicable the poems will be ten or twenty years later since they’re only meant for the present.
Poet’s Note
I would have given you extensive tips for how to write a good inaugural poem but there’s a simple reason I didn’t.
If you’re invited by the President of the United States (or some similar authority) to write a poem, then you probably don’t need my advice anymore.
Just throwing that out there.
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