Heathcote Williams is an English poet, actor, dramatist, screenwriter. He has also written song lyrics, including a collaboration with Marianne Faithful. He has authored several book-length collections that are “documentary/investigative” poetry, including Autogeddon; Falling for a Dolphin; Whale Nation — one of the most powerful arguments for a worldwide ban on whaling — and the focus of today’s program, Sacred Elephant. The work begins “The shape of an African elephant’s ear is the shape of Africa. The shape of an Indian elephant’s ear is the shape of India.” Sacred Elephant moves us through the life of elephants in their natural habitats without saving us from the horrors of their lives in captivity. As he did in Whale Nation, Williams underscores the poem with classical music.