Poem for the Day - Pity The Nation by Lawrence Ferlinghetti [2007]

 Pity the nation...

BY LAWRENCE FERLINGHETTI (2007)

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 airways

Pity the nation that raises not its voice

but aims to rule the world

by force and by torture

And knows

No other language 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 of my country

My country, tears of thee

Sweet land of liberty!

yes another hero . . . central poet counter culture man of letters and literary figure for the Beats and founder of City Lights bookshop in SF

For the boys at FBS and VW and all in Merikay especially brother Jobe

(Ferlinghetti's Greatest Poems https://amzn.to/3FshoLA )