Gil Scott-Heron set the standard for musical poetry, and his work resounds more relevantly than ever, his brilliant analysis of Nixon- and Reagan-era absurdities now all too fitting in the current nightmares. I was reminded of his poetical and political genius again the other day when his “Work for Peace” circulated on social media.

Poets, listen to how he juxtaposes “military” and “monetary” so incisively, so scathingly, so wittingly, so politically astute. And that’s just one element of the song poem. Listen and learn. He never won a Pulitzer, but he paved the way . . .