Pity the Nation (after Khalil Gibran)
POETRY FORMAT, 5 Apr 2021
Lawrence Ferlinghetti - TRANSCEND Media Service
An Ode to USA
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.
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Lawrence Monsanto Ferlinghetti (24 Mar 1919 – 22 Feb 2021) was an American poet, painter, social activist, and the co-founder of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers. He was the author of poetry, translations, fiction, theater, art criticism, and film narration. Wikipedia
Tags: Kahlil Gibran, Poetry, USA
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 5 Apr 2021.
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