Inaugural Poet Richard Blanco in Miami

"Well, I think we're finally American" Richard Blanco said to his mother after reading his poem at President Obama's inauguration  on January 21, 2013

I saw Richard Blanco at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami this past Friday.  Richard Blanco describes himself as being made in Cuba, born in Spain and growing up in Cuban Miami. Blanco now lives in Bethel Maine with his partner. Blanco's American journey is fascinating yet also inspiring. His poems are a prism of how he sees  life.  Life as an immigrant living in Miami. Life as a gay man, and life as an American growing up in the late 20th century.

Blanco read  some poetry  from (City of a Hundred Fires, Directions to The Beach of the Dead, and Looking for The Gulf Motel). He also read his inaugural poem.

Blanco described how he was picked to be the official poet for President Obama's address. Blanco stated that he did not apply for the position, but was chosen. He described how he read the address in Washington and then turned to his Cuban born mother with limited English skills and said " Well, I think We're finally American". 

My favorite poem was this, which he read:

Looking for The Gulf Motel

Marco Island, Florida

There should be nothing here I don't remember . . .

The Gulf Motel with mermaid lampposts 

and ship's wheel in the lobby should still be 

rising out of the sand like a cake decoration. 

My brother and I should still be pretending 

we don't know our parents, embarrassing us 

as they roll the luggage cart past the front desk 

loaded with our scruffy suitcases, two-dozen 

loaves of Cuban bread, brown bags bulging 

with enough mangos to last the entire week, 

our espresso pot, the pressure cooker—and 

a pork roast reeking garlic through the lobby. 

All because we can't afford to eat out, not even 

on vacation, only two hours from our home 

in Miami, but far enough away to be thrilled 

by whiter sands on the west coast of Florida, 

where I should still be for the first time watching 

the sun set instead of rise over the ocean.

There should be nothing here I don't remember . . .

My mother should still be in the kitchenette 

of The Gulf Motel, her daisy sandals from Kmart 

squeaking across the linoleum, still gorgeous 

in her teal swimsuit and amber earrings 

stirring a pot of arroz-con-pollo, adding sprinkles 

of onion powder and dollops of tomato sauce. 

My father should still be in a terrycloth jacket 

smoking, clinking a glass of amber whiskey 

in the sunset at the Gulf Motel, watching us 

dive into the pool, two boys he'll never see 

grow into men who will be proud of him.

There should be nothing here I don't remember . . .

My brother and I should still be playing Parcheesi, 

my father should still be alive, slow dancing 

with my mother on the sliding-glass balcony 

of The Gulf Motel. No music, only the waves 

keeping time, a song only their minds hear 

ten-thousand nights back to their life in Cuba. 

My mother's face should still be resting against 

his bare chest like the moon resting on the sea, 

the stars should still be turning around them.

There should be nothing here I don't remember . . .

My brother should still be thirteen, sneaking 

rum in the bathroom, sculpting naked women 

from sand. I should still be eight years old 

dazzled by seashells and how many seconds 

I hold my breath underwater—but I'm not. 

I am thirty-eight, driving up Collier Boulevard, 

looking for The Gulf Motel, for everything 

that should still be, but isn't. I want to blame 

the condos, their shadows for ruining the beach 

and my past, I want to chase the snowbirds away 

with their tacky mansions and yachts, I want 

to turn the golf courses back into mangroves, 

I want to find The Gulf Motel exactly as it was 

and pretend for a moment, nothing lost is lost.

After listening to Richard Blanco, my buddy Jay, and I went to Little Havana to our favorite restaurant "Versailles Restaurant" for a little cafecito and a light dinner!  Always worth the trip "Versailles" is open late and is lively with many Cuban-Americans dining, drinking and enjoying late night pastries and coffee!