HBD, Larry

Lawrence Ferlinghetti, an American poet, painter, social activist, and co-founder of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers in San Francisco, was born on this date in 1919 in Bronxville, New York. 

Decades before 'fake news' and 'alternative facts' were espoused by amoral, talentless, narcissistic, lying demagogues and their self-serving enablers, he wept for what was to come. 

And now that it's here, it's even worse than imagined.

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
By 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!

– Lawrence Ferlinghetti (after Khalil Gibran) 

-bill kenny