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"On the Pulse of Morning" is a poem by writer and poet Maya Angelou that she read at the first inauguration of President Bill Clinton on January 20, 1993. With her public recitation, Angelou became the second poet in history to read a poem at a presidential inauguration, and the first African American and woman.
- Maya Angelou
- 1993
By Maya Angelou. A Rock, A River, A Tree. Hosts to species long since departed, Marked the mastodon, The dinosaur, who left dried tokens. Of their sojourn here. On our planet floor, Any broad alarm of their hastening doom. Is lost in the gloom of dust and ages.
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What does on the pulse of morning mean?
Here, on the pulse of this fine day You may have the courage To look up and out and upon me, the Rock, the River, the Tree, your country. No less to Midas than the mendicant. No less to you now than the mastodon then.
The poem echoes key points in Clinton's inaugural speech, especially that of America's need to own up to its violent history of genocide, slavery, colonialism, and environmental destruction in order to secure a more peaceful and equitable future.
In 1993, Angelou recited her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" (1993) at the first inauguration of Bill Clinton, making her the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since Robert Frost at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy in 1961. With the publication of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou publicly discussed aspects of her personal ...
- 1
- Memoir, poetry
- 1951–2014
- Marguerite Annie Johnson, April 4, 1928, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Summary. ‘On the Pulse of Morning’ by Maya Angelou is a poem dealing with the voices of the rock, river, and tree and how humans can make this earth a better place for everyone. This poem begins with a short depiction of the lost era when ancient creatures existed. However, with time, they lost.
Nov 4, 2023 · 'On the Pulse of Morning' is a long, all-encompassing poem that isn't afraid to look back into darker times before pushing on forward into a future full of hope. It has historical elements and philosophical passages and urges everyone to do their best and share the planet wisely.
