The Third Night [Lennon's Legacy] - Matthew Chenoweth Wright

A poem about experiences of solidarity during a crisis. Recorded live at invisible caterpillar studios in April, 2007. Originally written by Matthew Wright in 1992, Sacramento, CA, during a massive anti-war, pro-peace, movement in front of the State Capitol that lasted the duration of the "war." John Lennon, thank you for your lessons, and I'm sorry our crazy mixed up adult world killed you.

The Third Night or Lennons Legacy

the obvious crowd traitors all sought by the cameras and recording men
chanting no more war loving one another with tears and early morning pavement
chilled yawns grows free with incoming body counts and a growing pride blindly
surrounded with flags and television enraptured football fanatic keep the job
and family home at night part time patriots identified with the missiles and
the male hate moral hippie bashing conformists bat blind to crisis reacting to
pot smoking communists we became revolution who knew the true meaning of
terror and empathy with those that die for money nietchze would have been
proud woodstock came to the steps of government banging drums and chanting
against the times of killing and for the times of spirit healing we weren't
arrested and beaten and made to sign self-indictments and broken and turned
into model citizens we were calm and concerned and helpless to tears amid
history amid the nation-state of cnn watchers amid the chants of pride for a
decaying usa amid the marches amid the mock funerals for channel 13 amid the
struggles for social self government amid the loss of security and the gaining
of empowerment amid the sad loss of love amid the soft touch of love amid the
spirits escaped and scattered from the bombed out bodies from the cradle of
the world now the tigris has a bridge spanning the blood of innocents and
because an ill tempered child with a loud warcry took another childs toy who
with a made for tv ill-tempered wail took it back the playpen shook and shook
floating on a sea of oil and blood and human misery how much do you want to
see hell before you die watch the news they'll show you we the people of earth
in order to live in peace demand nothing less from our selves than the
freedom from nationalism and materialism predjudice hate fear power thirst
pride guilt and war over dead dinosaurs john is crying crying over an absence
crying over the absence of peace in this world crying for vietnam for
tienneman isreal baghdad russia america give john peace at last all we are
saying....