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....

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• live
• requiem
• poetry
• enuminous
• invisible
• caterpillar
• studios
• john
• lennon
• war
• peace
• gulf
• iraq
• kuwait
• protest
• love

[enuminous]

I actually, in retrospect, find it interesting that there was such a wide range of reaction to this video. Thank you to my supporters, and also thank you to those who would attempt to be critical of my expression through art. It shows that there is a healthy discourse in America about the meaning of war and how it affects people in differing ways. From the hippie-bashing to the supportive, I have always relished the opportunities this dichotomy has given for critical analyses of human beings.

[HippieRus]

They die for peace? how do you die for peace you dont know what your talking about i think your the one who should get a real job

[enuminous]

Thanks for the hate. I really appreciate it, I do. This is a work of art, not to be taken literally, doofus. Read The Gulag Archipilego. Poetry is for the symbolism. Remember: War kills people. Both in body and in mind. As long as we think that war is ok, we are victims of it.

[devildawg32]

oh...yes, hippies know the true meaning of terror...are those the smiling clown clothed hippies holding up peace signs like its a fun Saturday Afternoon get-together?...if you need something to do, get a real job...its sad that the "rich kids" sit and march with signs while the real Americans die for peace...as opposed to the "poor fighting for the war"...what a spin...go smoke a bowl, hippies...

[enuminous]

Wow, what an interesting response. As a matter of fact, I left my cheap job in a Lyon's Restauraunt to go march, and wasn't rich at the time, either. I went to support the troops, to decry the need for death and destruction. It's interesting that war-protesters tend to get characterized and marginalized by comments such as this.

[silvercoffeesurfer]

we want more poetry from you

[enuminous]

Coming... Just had to move my studio. Back in business, with new videos coming out for 2 new singles within the next week, hopefully. Stay tuned.

[Deometris]

The "thirst" for power manifests in many different ways. Your deprecation of people who pursue power through direct ways, is just another more subtle way power is sought. Wish people would stop thinking so one-dimensionally and stop being fucking hypocrits.

Oh yeah, people willingly sign up for the military knowing that they could be sent to war. They made the choice so let them deal with the consequences.

[enuminous]

Mark David Chapman was a symptom of a disease in our society that cuts down creativity at it's peak, a sickness of accepting that murder is just status quo.

[mjrchapin]

The "crazy mixed up adult world" didn't kill Lennon. Mark David Chapman did.