Inaugural Poet Richard Blanco Talks About His Inspiration. Most of America was introduced to Richard Blanco on Monday when he stepped to the podium at the U.S. Capitol to read “One Today,” the poem he had written to celebrate the second inauguration of President Barack Obama. Blanco, the gay son of Cuban exiles, is the fifth person to be chosen to write an inaugural poem, and the youngest person to be given that honor. (Previous inaugural poets include Robert Frost and Maya Angelou.) In the video below, Blanco talks about his desire to create a poem of unity and love, as he believes the occasion demanded.