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Poets who read at Festival IT’S TIME FOR THE KNIGHT TO TRIUMPH SAN FRANCISCO The roster of poets (below) spanned the world In the shade of the olives and nation. Each brought a special perspective, In the lemon leaves reminding the audience that in every country In the eyes of birds there are activist poets, who, with other artists, I look for you INTERNATIONAL POETRY FESTIVAL reject the false and terrible “solutions” of well On the summit of the red volcano tailored “world leaders”who speak their lies In the land painted with thyme, and advocate the interests of giant corporations. O greatest joy of mine, Maram al Masri, Syria O greatest joy, O home of sorrows, erupt! Hanan Awwad, Palestine Aharon Shabtai, fighting A triumph of international solidarity O home of sorrows, erupt! Alejandro Murguia, of the Miguel Mendoza Barreto, Venezuela working class poet from Shall we worship other gods USA, who read the poems Bei Dao, China Israel. PHOTO/SARAH POWELL of Miguel Mendoza Ferruccio Brugnaro, Italy In the shade of your ashes Barreto, the Venezuelan Nicole Cage-Florentini, Martinique And hang on the gallows poet whose visa was BY CATHLEEN WILLIAMS Quotes from Festival poets Of your branches? Frances Combes, France STOP THE WAR blocked by the US Agneta Falk, USA Can we forget government. “ENTRY PERMITTED,” the I wanted to create an international festival Sinan Gudzevic, Serbia/Croatia That we belong to the pregnant earth? PHOTO/SARAH POWELL program of the San Francisco Interna- whose diversity of languages and themes rooted Can we forget Don’t wait till it’s Mark Bamuthi Joseph, USA too late. tional Poetry Festival proclaimed, in in class content would serve as resistance to the Anna Lombardo, Italy that we come from a bigger root? globalizing atrocities of corporate greed and O home of sorrows, erupt! Don’t stay silent, not any more. print that imitated the rubber stamp of Alberto Masala, Sardinia/Italy The missiles war. What happened is that, to the delight and Sarah Menefee, USA O home of sorrows, erupt! an immigration official upon a passport amazement of all, the “audience” turned into a Givara’s approaching. the bombs — here, however, openly rejecting ex- Cletus Nelson-Nwadike, Nigeria/Sweden are getting revolutionarily receptive People, at the cultural Sotirios Pastakas The revolution kindles its insurrection. clusion and censorship in favor of the level, and their yearning for change became an It’s ignited by the tawny face, the upper hand Aharon Shabtai, Israel on the whole universe free cultural exchange. Hundreds of affirming light that illuminated San Francisco in Carmen Yanez, Chile/Spain Givara kisses its forehead a way that Poetry hasn’t in a generation. And perceives unconquerable lions. on all of life. people, hungry to hear the poetry of our Sabah M. Jasim, Iraq Monster animals have taken — Jack Hirschman and the 4 Poet Laureates of San Francisco: Gaza, O my mother, common humanity — poems of outrage O Gaza, the reins and affirmation — attended the three Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Janice Mirikitani, of earth What Jack Hirschman did was create a space of devorah major, and Jack Hirschman The flame of longing grows bright, day event on July 27, 28, and 29, which Banner of the Poetry Festival. PHOTO/DONATED freedom and creation, of expansion of the spirit, Grandfather’s tent holds a song and world. featured free poetry readings across the a place to breathe possibility and revelations, Made up of the dreams of poverty, The darkening of the mind city, in libraries, cafes, galleries, and, the with surprising interactions of images, i.e., “the IT’S NOT JUST THE POVERTY Played by grains of light and soul is almost spacious theatre of the Palace of Fine Manifesto for the Festival orange butterflies” (as the trash trucks are called And the sickle. It’s not just the poverty This is my mother, she bears a secret total. Arts. in Baghdad in the poem by Sabah M. Jasim Sabah Yasim, an Iraqi poet, was refused entry to the festival (Iraq), and the “beautiful trash trucks and “beau- It’s the abandonment Drawing me toward the yellow sands Don’t clam up, don’t stay silent. This was poetry of both protest and Only war talks by the US government. His letter, excerpted below, was a man- tiful Union of trash collectors” lauded by the sorrow in knowing a boy gunned down To love, fragrant in my homeland love — the “human poem,” as San Fran- dying in the arms of his mother strong and loud ifesto for the festival: Aharon Shabtai (Israel). And all the events were In a hut on a green mountainside. cisco Poet Laureate and festival host free. Every kind of person, of all ages, of all eth- without its meaning a thing to anyone April! in these hours Jack Hirschman said, at the kick-off cel- nicities and of all income levels was there. Peo- without anybody preventing it Proclaim that my blood exudes the fragrance spreading blazes of blood poverty looks like a dead girl and death ebration, standing on a make-shift stage We have come today to bring together our words that struggle ple listened on the sidewalks. Of the land of my ancestors. for a better world, a world where humanity would truly be — Kristine Brown raped by all the insects of this world in city and plain. in Jack Kerouac alley in North Beach Don’t be silent, don’t keep still. free, a world without persecution or discrimination, whether poverty doesn’t go away from my eyes HANAN AWWAD of Palestine is an activist for a below the festival banner as jazz musi- my gaze shakes with its rags The human heart assaulted on a racial or national basis…. I believe poetry is a beacon solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. She cians played and San Francisco’s cool It was “a return to that Poetry Renaissance and my mouth is torn with its shreds translated the poem from Palestinian Arabic. by the terror summer fog rolled in across the cobble- among the arts, a thing of beauty that can help foretell the dreamed in the ‘60s by the pacifist poet Kenneth poverty walks of darkness beauty of the future. It can show us the potential world that and leaves my footprints in its path these days stones — poetry which takes as its mis- Rexroth in places lived by the ‘Beats’,where GLORY FOR TALI can be created if we so choose — it can be the seeds of our social poetry as a poetry of love continues in I can’t squash it like a damned mosquito like a defenseless child sion the awakening of our society to the flounders hope…What is more beautiful than a free nation? What is perrennial revolt by sounding out its own that carries all the wailing possibilities of social change and revo- of the world in its hate. If mother in uttermost weeping. lovelier than a free human mind, than the liberty of music, or uncomfortable truths.” Won’t send you bananas, lution, which speaks on behalf of the — Laura Zanetti (Italy) even that of a simple plant or river? What greater thing can BY MIGUEL MENDOZA BARRETO of Tali Fahima, BY FERRUCCIO BRUGNARO, one of Italy’s powerless and impoverished, which re- Marturin, Venezuela. Translated by Jack humanity hope for than to live free, free from hunger but also I will deliver you in a poem leading poets, he called the audience to action, minds us of what is essential — humani- Poetry is the freedom of spirit and for three days Hirschman from Spanish, it illustrates how Your wings of glory. ty and peace and economic security — free to express one’s opinion? we were free. Free from the brutality of a gov- urgent and immediate. The poem is translated by poetry can capture the emotional heart of Because for people who are used Jack Hirschman. not militarism and war and capitalist ex- ernment that treats its citizens like retarded alien political struggle. to militaristic crap-filled mess-tins ploitation. The festival was supported by stepchildren. Free from the oppressive psycho- You have brought a half a loaf of bread logical terrorism perpetrated on the workers who And a glass of milk the San Francisco Public Library and its keep this republic running. Free from the envi- volunteers, and the Mayor’s office; its And for those whose roofs ronmental rape the corporate sociopathic, profli- Are being blown off above their heads, co-hosts included San Francisco’s previ- gate robber barons routinely employ in order to Those whose tiles are taken apart ous Poet Laureates, Lawrence Fer- keep themselves and their stockholders From underneath their feet, linghetti, Janice Mirikitani, and devorah entrenched in excessive lifestyles that remain Those who live under the lynching regime major, each a political poet of national antipathic to a true humanity. Poets from around With pocket money you traveled the world demonstrated the essence of commu- And brought a smile. stature. nication with brilliant and moving language that Since ancient times, poetry has spo- speaks to our collective consciousness. A uni- Nigerian poet Cletus Nelson- AHARON SHABTAI is an award-winning Nwadike, who writes in Swedish, with ken from, for, and to the community, ar- versal language that stirs human potential, that A small part of the crowd in Jack Kerouac Israeli poet. Translated from Hebrew by Adva says, yes we, individually and collectively, are so Agneta Falk, the Anglo-Swedish poet ticulating the universal truths of our Alley where the festival kicked off. Left E.

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