HARD WIRED FOR BEAUTY

 The privilege of symmetry. Do the beautiful realize how good they have it? To be extremely talented as well as beautiful seems like something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. What must it take just to maintain that kind of power plant? 

   A week ago I saw a PBS News piece on the young, brilliant, black and beautiful Amanda Gorman. The 22 year old poet was introduced to America as the "first National Young Poet Laureate" who would perform her poetry at Biden's inaugural. Who the fuck has ever heard of a "22 year old poet." Poetry takes time--a life lived. The PBS segment showed how long this young woman had been a force to be reckoned with, had overcome a stutter, volunteered her time with younger students, written from the heart, ruled her world... As I watched I swallowed my words. Poetry obviously does not take a long life experience-- only empathic embrace of how far you've come. The young poet had that in spades. I couldn't take my eyes off her.

    I told my friends to watch for this girl at the inaugural. It's no surprise that she was a massive hit! Americans are hard wired to respond to this kind of beauty-- classical, graceful, optimistic--European. I'm not taking anything away from Amanda Gorman. She is amazing; so much so that I'm searching for the flaws. Would her line about "a skinny black girl..." read better as a "fat black girl"? One less syllable and the implication would be that she overcame her struggle with obesity to become the skinny beauty before your eyes. Plus it rhymes better. Does Amanda recognize her place in history as a symmetrical elitist? Probably. 

   Cluelessness or deprecation to one's good looks (purposeful or not) is also appealing. Narcissism makes the little frown lines more pronounced and stretches those flaps around the neck. I can't get inside the poet Gorman's head. I would think that she is way more self-aware and a much nicer person than I could ever imagine.  From what little I know of her (one inauguration poem and a PBS segment) at 22 she seems an old soul. I know she's the entire package a walking talking propaganda poem for young boys and girls to think in open verse, rhyme and optimism. Even a cynic like me is impressed. We could do way worse than using Amanda Gorman as an example for the youth. It's not her fault she's perfect. Just remember that ugly and misshapen children of any race, whose visual appeal is somewhat lacking, can also write beautiful poetry. Language is there for all of us. Beauty is only bestowed on a few. This girl's beauty is not wasted.