Lee Herrick’s Poem “Courage” from “A Courage of Poets”
California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick wrote a poem, “Courage,” occasioned by the Sixteen Rivers Press-sponsored gathering “A Courage of Poets” at the Sacramento Capitol Building on February 6, 2026. The gathering honored and remembered people who have been killed by ICE.
Courage
by Lee Herrick
I almost stopped believing in the ocean.
Imagine that. I almost stopped believing
in the music of such massive natural splendor.
I had lost sight of it, lost sight of hope
because innocent people were killed
by people in masks, hiding their faces,
their shame parading as providence,
their weakness posing as policy.
But then, I remembered the tides.
I was restored by the courage of poets
whose songs sounded like ocean waves
guided by the moon. Even now, there is music.
Children laughing on the swings, a student
learning the saxophone, a woman reading
her rough draft by the lake, a father whistling
a love song in his native language.
Courage is from the Latin word cor,
which means heart, which means we are a heart of poets.
As in, take courage, take heart. As in, the widow
was grateful for your encouragement, your giving heart.
As in, the heart of your convictions.
What I mean is: we are made of love
and therefore larger than their terror.
As a great poet said, they can cut back all of the flowers,
but they cannot hold back spring.
We are a massive natural splendor, too.
In the end, all we are is love and love and love.
In the end, the ocean and the music might save us.
Meet me at the beach. Bring your light.
Bring your songs. I’ll wait for you.
Copyright © 2026 Lee Herrick. Used with the permission of the author.
California State Poet Laureate Lee Herrick reads his poem “Courage” at “A Courage of Poets.”
Photo by Brenda Hillman.
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