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Our newest U.S. Poet Laureate shows us how to be Americans together

With unforgettable poems such as “Instructions on Not Giving Up” and “American Pharoah,” it was no surprise when Ada Limón was appointed the 24th U.S. Poet Laureate in July. Limón became one of just a handful of Poet Laureates to break from the white male trend that was set in motion when the U.S. Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry position was created in 1985. A recent article by NBC News states that “Limón described herself as polyethnic. She has Mexican and Indigenous ancestry, and on her mother’s side there’s ‘a lot’ of Scottish and Irish.” Through this mixed ethnic perspective, Limón’s poems are often warmly rooted in a distinctly American sense of place reflecting her adopted home state of Kentucky and, at times, provide a penetrating critique of the nation at large.

Limón’s poem “A New National Anthem,” published in The Carrying in 2018, places a spotlight on two enduring symbols of America — its flag and its most famous song, the “Star-Spangled Banner.” This poem is, in part, a thoughtful critique of the lyrics of the beloved U.S. national anthem as well as a reflection on who we are as a country and what we value. “(Always, always, there is war and bombs),” the fifth line of the poem mutters in parentheses. We are a country who mindlessly sings the national anthem “with a beer sloshing in the stands / hoping our team wins.” Limón also reminds us that there is a third stanza in the anthem, which alludes to the history of slavery with the line “No refuge could save the hireling and slave.” In this poem, Limon presents an opportunity for readers to dig deep into the under-sung among common American narratives and probe beyond the surface level identity based on triumph in war.

In the poem, the flag seems most admirable to Limón when it “undulates in the wind” but is “best when it is humbled” and “when it’s not a weapon.” In recent years, the national anthem and American flag have come under scrutiny, spurred by N.F.L. player Colin Kaepernick who chose to kneel during the playing of the anthem before a game to show solidarity with the BIPOC community. Once a symbol of unified patriotism and pride, the flag has become a symbol of white nationalism and partisan politics.

The “New” national anthem that Limón proposes comes in the form of a gentle reference to “This Land is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie with the lines: “the song that says my bones / are your bones, and your bones are my bones, / and isn’t that enough?” Both songs are distinctly about freedom, but the shared human experience in a vast, rich, and beautiful landscape should be enough to pull the country together to work for what is most humane and dignified for all of its citizens, but it isn’t. The poem shines a light on what is missing from the “Star-spangled Banner”—our collective identity as co-creators, fellow inhabitants, neighbors, and shared stewards of the extraordinary American landscape.

In an article by NPR, Limon states, “I think that it’s really important to remember that even in this particularly hard moment, divided moment, poetry can really help us reclaim our humanity.” Through an unflinchingly personable voice, Limón’s poetry brings us closer to the full range of human experience and does so through engaging and immediate language that feels at home in its own skin. While reclaiming our sense of place and humanity as a nation may be seemingly impossible, Limón’s poetry opens the door for us to reframe who we are as a country defined by beauty and altruism, in the spirit of Woodie Guthrie. Limon’s call for “A New National Anthem” is based on the unity of its citizens, the sharing of its figurative bones, and the embracing of its golden valleys and diamond deserts for the benefit of all.

Donelle Dreese
Donelle Dreese

Donelle Dreese is an English professor at Northern Kentucky University.