RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR
Ferlinghetti
“If
you would be a poet,
create
works capable of answering
the
challenge of apocalyptic times.”
--
Poetry as Insurgent Art
He
fought the endless battle
For
justice and equality
For
peace and integrity
For
art and creativity
With
passion through poetry
He
asked us to Speak Out
From
our hearts to change minds
With
our arts and our many voices
He
was strong but always kind
He
knew it was a battle
That
would not end
Not
in his lifetime or mine
He
knew it was the fight
That
mattered most
The
constant state of struggle
That
keeps the heart pumping
That
keeps the ball rolling
That
keeps the march marching
That
in the end tells the story
Of
humankind
He
was the keeper of the beat
Holder
of the sacred torch
Bearer
of the golden flame
An
institution of the City
Protector
of the Lights
The
banner of a generation
Passed
through his hands
And
settled in his soul
(Lawrence
Ferlinghetti, Poet Extraordinaire,
Founder
of City Lights; born in Bronxville NY,
March
24, 1919, died SF, February 22, 2021.)
