Arnie's Wife Inspires With Angelou Poem

Arnold Schwarzenegger's newscaster wife Maria Shriver welcomed her husband to political office this morning (17NOV03) with an inspiring Maya Angelou poem.

Shriver, a member of America's Kennedy family, stepped up to the podium minutes before her husband was sworn in as California's 38th governor.

And she set the stage for more inspiring words from the TERMINATOR star by quoting poet Angelou, and saying, "Awaken on a low plane, on a plane of defeat, beneath the level of possibility, overpowered sometimes by a general climate of hopelessness.

"Promise can even be viewed as unattainable, and into this morass of misery a light shines, a light enters. Sometimes it's the sight of one child smiling, sometimes it's the light of a person who dares to dream a great dream.

"Into this atmosphere of gloom and despair, day breaks. Light emerges, flooding the grim meadow of misery with hope and promise."

Proud Shriver then stepped aside to hold an 1811 BIBLE as her husband was sworn into office.