APRIL 2ND 2005

APRIL 2ND 2005

The pope died today
I heard about it on the radio
on the way to the Bahai reading

The pope died today and the pope was a poet
I know because I have one of his books

Anyway, the pope died today
and the pope was a poet

He was a good and a wise man too
who apologized to the Gypsy and the Jew

But I know he would
because the pope was a poet

And he was working yet
to get the big banks to forgive
the third world’s crippling debt

But that was no surprise
because the pope was a poet

And now as cardinals
in solemn gaggles gather
to spread portfolios for a look

I hope they look for a poetry book