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Amanda Gorman pens moving poem honoring Renee Nicole Good: 'They say she is no more…'
Posting her poem on Instagram, Amanda Gorman wrote "On January 7th, 2026, ICE agents murdered Renee Nicole Good by shooting her in the head."
National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman wrote a moving poem in tribute to Renee Nicole Good, a Minneapolis mother and poet who was fatally shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross earlier this month.
Good's death occurred during a federal immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis on January 7, sparking widespread protests, vigils, and national debate over use of force by immigration authorities.
Also Read: Who was Renee Nicole Good? 10 things to know about the woman killed in Minneapolis ICE shooting
Posting her poem on Instagram, Gorman wrote "On January 7th, 2026, ICE agents murdered Renee Nicole Good by shooting her in the head through her car window. She was a poet and writer, a wife, and a mother of three."
She continued, "Like many, I am horrified by the ongoing violence that ICE wages upon our community. Across our country, we are witnessing discrimination and brutality on an unconscionable scale."
"We remember and mourn not only Renee, but all those ICE has killed, including Silverio Villegas Gonzalez and Keith Porter, who were also shot by ICE. We also remember the 32 individuals who died in ICE custody last year, with 2025 marking the deadliest year in ICE’s history in over two decades."
The poem opens with the lines:
"They say she is no more,
That there her absence roars,
Blood-blown like a rose.
Iced wheels flinched & froze.
Now, bare riot of candles,
Dark fury of flowers,
Pure howling of hymns."
Read the full poem here.
Who is Amanda Gorman?
Amanda Gorman is an American poet and activist. She became the first National Youth Poet Laureate in 2017. Gorman rose to international fame in 2021 after reciting her poem ‘The Hill We Climb’ at Joe Biden’s inauguration, becoming the youngest poet to deliver an presidential inaugural poem in US history.
