Canada's poet laureate joins growing chorus of poets against war

January 18, 2006 {id="261" title="Bowering"} sent "Good Prospects", a poem written in 1963 in response to the Moscow Test Ban Treaty, to Sam Hamill to be reprinted in the Poets Against the War collection. So far, 5300 poets have contributed to the protest. Elsewhere, British poet laureate {id="290" title="Andrew Motion"} and U.S. poet laureate {id="340" title="Billy Collins"} have also spoken out publicly against a possible attack on Iraq.

"I can't imagine a poet being a toady for the war-mongers. It just doesn't seem possible," Bowering told the CBC Arts News. "In the 60s, I really thought that things were going to get better. But now, I'm really, really disappointed. I'm going to die bitter, I think," the poet laureate said.