blog :: drew dellinger

Archive for September 2006
< blog main

Crosswalk

posted by drew

09.23.06

Last week I was standing at a crosswalk in downtown San Francisco, waiting for the light to change, even though there really weren't any cars in sight. Suddenly someone came striding up behind me and--without pausing--bolted into the intersection and across the street. Instantly I felt like such a punk-ass goodie-two-shoes, as I followed the intrepid pedestrian.

Sometimes all it takes is an example…

Of course, waiting at a crosswalk is not a big deal, and traffic signals--for the most part--serve the common good, but the problem is, we're raised to be overly compliant in general, and too often we learn to respect authority no matter what. We're afraid to step out of line, even if it is a big deal, so we don't speak up when our government lies, or drops bombs on civilians.

But what if we could begin to inspire each other to defy the criminals who claim to be our rulers?

When that first person dares to step out into the intersection and cross the street, there's no telling how many might follow.

no comments yet

drew dellinger

Drew Dellinger

Drew Dellinger is a spoken word poet, professor, activist, and founder of Poets for Global Justice. He has inspired minds and hearts at hundreds of events in many countries, performing poetry and keynoting on justice, ecology, cosmology, activism, democracy and compassion.
[Full Bio]

search

upcoming events

Jul 09: Living the New Story: Cosmology, Justice, Poetry and the Planet
May 01: Day-long Class at Royal Roads University
Mar 25: Drew's Tour of Canada -- March 25-30, 2010
Dec 06: Speech at the Parliament of the World's Religions

Subscribe to newsletter and events.

SIGN UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER

in the store

love letter to the milky way

An Evening with Drew Dellinger: Poetry, Cosmology and Justice

[more in the store]

what people are saying about drew

(Statement by a Member of Congress to former Vice President Al Gore, during Gore's testimony at Congressional climate change hearings, April 24, 2009.) "I want to relate to your struggle a few moments ago to come up with the right words to define this moment. Because we're all talking and asking questions based on the concerns that our current constituents raise with us about this measure. And I wonder, what if the future generations had a voice? And if people living in our districts in 2080, or 2090, could speak to us now, what would they be saying? I'll give you one piece of poetry, actually, that I think brings it up pretty well, by a fellow named Drew Dellinger. He says, 'it's 3:23 in the morning/ and I'm awake/ because my great great grandchildren/ won't let me sleep/ my great great grandchildren/ ask me in dreams/ what did you do while the planet was plundered?/ what did you do when the earth was unraveling?'"
- Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin

[more reviews]

photos

Marching to the White House Against the War, with religious leaders, clergy, veterans and Gold Star families, 2005

Drew at the Whidbey Institute, delivering the Thomas Berry Legacy lecture, October 2008

Chevron Protest--5th Anniversary of the Invasion of Iraq, March 2008

Danielle Drake-Burnette, author of Cast Iron Life

[see all photos]

drew dellinger - planetize the movement