A poem dedicated to the actions of the students of California

The poem below is by Kevin Higgins, an Irish poet.  He has dedicated this to the students. There is a video of him reading it here: http://www.salmonpoetry.com/video2.php?ID=11 


A Brief History Of Those Who Made Their Point Politely
And Then Went Home
For the occupying students at U.C.L.A November 2009

On this day of tear-gas in Seoul
and windows broken at Dickins & Jones,
I can’t help wondering why a history
of those, who made their point politely
and then went home, has never been written.

Those who, in the heat of the moment,
never dislodged a policeman’s helmet,
never blocked the traffic or held the country to ransom.
Someone should ask them: “Was it all worth it?”

All those proud men and women, who never
had the National Guard sent in against them;
who left everything exactly as they found it,
without adding as much as a scratch to the paintwork;
who no-one bothered asking: “Are you or have you ever been?”
because we all knew damn well they never ever were.

Kevin Higgins

This poem is taken from The Boy With No Face,
(Salmon Poetry, 2005) http://www.salmonpoetry.com/theboy.html