by Michael Novick
Amilcar Cabral’s famous epiphany,
Cabral directed with great sagacity
At self-proclaimed fighters for liberty.
Tell No Lies, Claim No Easy Victory
Is an evident people’s tautology.
Even defeats are only achieved expensively,
Their costly lessons extracted only with tenacity.
Tell No Lies, Claim No Easy Victory!
Imagine imposing Cabral’s dictum with temerity
on purveyors of punishment and authors of slavery?!
Tell no lies, no manifest white destiny!
Claim no easy victory, from sea to shining sea.
Clinton, tell no lies! No end to welfare dependency.
Claim no easy victory! No bubble of bankers’ prosperity.
Bush – No Iraqi WMDs, tell no lies to me.
Mission Accomplished? Claim no easy victory!
Obama, tell no lies, no Hope for colonial democracy;
Claim no easy victory, no Change in imperial plutocracy.
Charlie Beck, tell no lies! No hand in waistband furtively!
Claim no easy victory, no blue-clad killers with impunity!
Tell no lies to yourself, people – claim no easy victory!
Cops can occupy the hoods militarily.
Cops can execute people summarily.
Cops can shoot you in the back and get immunity!
Cops use propaganda to divide the community!
Cops can scope your every move with totality…
But still the power of the people can stop police
brutality!!
All Power to the People who don’t fear freedom!
