<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">Pity The Nation </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>(After Khalil Gibran)</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class=""></span><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">Pity the nation whose people are sheep,</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">and whose shepherds mislead them.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">Pity the nation whose leaders are liars, whose</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">sages are silenced,</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">and whose bigots haunt the airwaves.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">Pity the nation that raises not its voice,</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">except to praise conquerors and acclaim the bully</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">as hero</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">and aims to rule the world with force and by</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">torture.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">Pity the nation that knows no other language but</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">its own</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">and no other culture but its own.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">Pity the nation whose breath is money</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">and sleeps the sleep of the too well fed.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">Pity the nation--oh, pity the people who allow</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">their rights to erode</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">and their freedoms to be washed away.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">My country, tears of thee, sweet land of liberty.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class=""></span><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; -webkit-font-kerning: none;" class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">- Lawrence Ferlinghetti</span></div><div class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class=""><br class=""></span></div></body></html>