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Thursday, 12 January 2006 09:58 |
ask me now
for edward sanders
standing at the finish line
of the boston marathon
in the middle of april
when americans pay their taxes
under penalty of seizure
or imprisonment,
thinking about boston harbor
where the american patriots
dressed up like natives
& stormed the british ships
to throw overboard
the hated crates of tea--
on this patriots day
at the end of a long & difficult run
let us rededicate ourselves
to the freedom & justice
our ancestors intended
when they founded this nation
& fought here in boston
& throughout new england
for the freedom of our country
& the right
to govern ourselves
as best we can, for better
or for worse,
however imperfect
or misguided--oh
let these truths
be self-evident,
that we shall be free to worship
as we may see fit,
that there are many peoples
& they have many different gods,
that what may be fit for you
just might not work for me
but let us live in peace together
& let us share our riches
with those among us
who have none,
& let the future of our nation
be secured by the intelligence
& creativity,
by the compassion
& commitment of our citizens
to the future of humanity itself
& to all people everywhere
who toil with us
here on earth, to make a living
for ourselves & our families,
to enjoy the fruits
of our labors, & fully partake
in the pleasures of life,
liberty,
& the pursuit of happiness
in whatever forms
it may present to us
for our enrichment
while we exercise the freedoms
guaranteed by our constitution--
to be free from armed invaders
in the comfort of our homes,
free to say or believe in
anything we might want to,
free to meet & mingle
with our friends, whomsoever
they may be,
free to get as high
as we want to, & enjoy all the substances
our happiness may require,
free to dance & sing,
free to make love with
whomsoever we may please,
free to have children
or not have children
as we may see fit,
free to live outside the dictates
of conventional society
like true americans,
open-minded,
humanitarian,
tolerant of the differences between us,
quick to accept,
slow to anger,
loath to harm or destroy--
so let the word go forth
from boston today: yes, let us re-
dedicate ourselves
to the freedom & justice
our ancestors intended
when they founded this great nation
new orleans
march 26/april 12 -13, 2002/
ann arbor
april 11, 2002/
boston
april 14 -15, 2002/
detroit
july 30, 2003/
rotterdam
january 8, 2004
from thelonious: a book of monk |
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