The Power of Poetry

Back in 1965, I heard Adrian Mitchell read his import­ant, inspir­ing, sem­inal poem which has the refrain “Tell me lies about Viet­nam.” Why is it import­ant and sem­inal ? Because every politi­cian the world over has taken his advice to heart — and not only have they ever since told us lies about Viet­nam, but about everything else under the sun. That, friends, is the power of poetry — one poet instructs the politi­cians to lie, and they do !