A Poet Speaks

[samplegirl]

Amy Goodman recently interviewed Lawrence Ferlinghetti, the 88-year-old poet and founder of City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco. He read a new poem.

PITY THE NATION

Pity the nation whose people are sheep,
and whose shepherds mislead them.

Pity the nation whose leaders are liars,
whose sages are silenced,
and whose bigots haunt the airwaves.

Pity the nation that raises not its voice,
except to praise conquerors and acclaim
the bully as hero
and aims to rule the world with force and
by torture.

Pity the nation that knows no other
language but its own
and no other culture but its own.

Pity the nation whose breath is money
and sleeps the sleep of the too well fed.
Pity the nation–oh, pity the people who
allow their rights to erode
and their freedoms to be washed away.

My country, tears of thee, sweet land of
Liberty.

[cali]

1. k&r!

Thank you so much for posting this. Here's to Ferlinghetti, still speaking out at 88.

[cali]

2. dupe

[ClayZ]

3. Bravo! K and R

[kerrylus]

4. poem

thanks