Comment by Neeli Cherkovski regarding OCCUPY SF—poems from the movement

Bobby and Virginia

I am happy to see this wonderful anthology
of poets. It is so beautifully produced
and speaks to our goodness,
our humanity, not to the shrill side
of protest as much as to the redemption
we find in understanding not just the 'crimes'
of the elite, but of their shortcomings.
This collection gives voice to our connection
with the land and its people.  I am pleased,
in this regard, that my poem on the land
follows my old friend and mentor L.
Ferlinghetti as a keynote for this gathering.

I prefer to think in terms of leading others
to a better sense of themselves,rather than
tearing them to shreds. This was the call
of Martin Luther King, of Nelson Mandala,
and of M .k. Gandhi before them.


much love


Neeli