Defence of Poetry 2004: Antjie Krog

I ran across the Poetry Internationl Web a day or two ago. There are so many refreshing messages here among the anguish and dispair.

I was struck by this:

Unlike America, unlike God or Islam, poetry does not need people to come to her aid. In this sense she is more powerful than God because she does not need people to defend her. She does not expect that anyone serve her blindly. Those who love her do so independently and this immediately sets them free.

It is a must read.