Thursday, March 11, 2010

Poetry In The Streets: Torn Between Bitterness and Hope, Poets Bring Inspiration to Our Nation's Lawmakers



Take Poetry to the Capitol
Today at 4:30 on the Upper Senate Park at the U.S. Capitol Grounds

The United States has now spent $1 trillion on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, our public schools and universities are facing massive cuts, millions of Americans are without health care, the earth is desperate for loving attention. Clearly, our lawmakers need the poets to tell them how to spend the next $1 trillion.

Come with a twelve word line of poetry (by you or by someone else) that expresses your vision for the future of our country and our planet. We will create and read aloud a collaborative Cento poem, which will begin with these lines sent to us by Adrienne Rich, from “An Atlas of the Difficult World”:

I know you are reading this poem listening for something, torn
between bitterness and hope
turning back once again to the task you cannot refuse ...


Write or type your line on a piece of paper. Include the name of the poet, your name (if different), and your home town.

Feel free to bring signs, but no poles bigger than 3⁄4" around and no signs offering anything for sale.

We will meet at Upper Senate Park, near Union Station, on Metro’s Red line (Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter on the Green/Yellow lines).

The #96 bus leaves from the northwest corner of U and 14th Street NW and goes right to the park, stopping at the corner of D Street NW and Louisiana Avenue NW.

Click here for a map.

Click here to read the Cento from the 2008 Festival!

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