Tortured poets are in the news at the moment, courtesy of Taylor Swift’s latest album. So let’s take a look at the home of an iconic American poet, Robert Frost, in Bennington, Vermont.
Honestly, Frost doesn’t strike me as particularly tortured. But then, I don’t have photos of any Sylvia Plath homes. And Frost did look a tiny bit tortured in the video below, at President John Kennedy’s 1961 inauguration ceremony (Frost begins speaking at about the 45 second mark).
To be fair, Frost was actually being tortured that day not by his poetry but by the glare of the sun and snow, which prevented him from being able to clearly read the poem he had written for the occasion. So he instead recited another poem from memory.
Kennedy and Frost were both New Englanders, which made him an appropriate choice for JFK’s inaugural. But he was actually the first poet ever invited to speak at a presidential inauguration. Since then, three other presidents have included poetry in their inauguration ceremonies: Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden.
Here was Amanda Gorman at Biden’s 2021 ceremony.
Or, if you prefer Taylor Swift, there is of course the title song from her newest album.
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