Friday, April 15, 2005

Friday Poetry Blogging: Extravaganza, part 2

As previously noted, Fridays in April will feature triple your poetry blogging fun, in honor of National Poetry Month. This week, I've selected three poems that, for one reason or another, spoke to my current high levels of frustration with right-wing psycho nutjobs. Hope you enjoy them.

Everything Changes (after Brecht, 'Alles Wandelt Sich'), by Cicely Herbert
Everything changes. We plant
trees for those born later
but what's happened has happened,
and poisons poured into the seas
cannot be drained out again.

What's happened has happened
poisons poured into the seas
cannot be drained out again, but
everything changes. We plant
trees for those born later.

The Leader, by Roger McGough
I wanna be the leader
I wanna be the leader
Can I be the leader?
Can I? I can?
Promise? Promise?
Yippee I'm the leader
I'm the leader

OK what shall we do?

You Took Away All the Oceans, by Osip Mandelstam
You took away all the oceans and all the room.
You gave me my shoe-size in earth with bars around it.
Where did it get you? Nowhere.
You left me my lips, and they shape words, even in silence.