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===== How It Happened ===== | ===== How It Happened ===== | ||
- | === Notes on the Day After === | + | ==== Second Negation ==== |
- | Second Negation | + | **by Sam Friedman** |
- | 1. Notes on the Day after the Revolution | + | |
- | As crowds partied loudly on glass-glittered sidewalks | + | === 1. Notes on the Day after the Revolution === |
- | and dodged around potholes while promenading the Bowery, | + | |
- | skirting the waves inching north three feet each year, | + | As crowds partied loudly on glass-glittered sidewalks\\ |
- | and offices and sweatshops echoed crescendos | + | and dodged around potholes while promenading the Bowery,\\ |
- | as workers debated how | + | skirting the waves inching north three feet each year,\\ |
- | they should now run them, | + | and offices and sweatshops echoed crescendos\\ |
- | and what wonders to build | + | as workers debated how \\ |
- | with their minds and their hands., | + | they should now run them,\\ |
- | I wandered alone, alone among revelers, | + | and what wonders to build\\ |
- | with notebook in hand while I muttered and scribbled, | + | with their minds and their hands.\\ |
+ | I wandered alone, alone among revelers,\\ | ||
+ | with notebook in hand while I muttered and scribbled,\\ | ||
jotting elation and jotting my fear. | jotting elation and jotting my fear. | ||
- | The TVs in the windows replayed it, | + | The TVs in the windows replayed it,\\ |
- | replayed the Weeks of the Wonders -- | + | replayed the Weeks of the Wonders --\\ |
- | how, after the years of the cynics, | + | how, after the years of the cynics,\\ |
- | when words of revolution led only to mutters of "not in my lifetime," | + | when words of revolution led only to mutters of "not in my lifetime,"\\ |
- | we began having strikes again in New York and in Jersey; | + | we began having strikes again in New York and in Jersey;\\ |
- | and how, a couple of weeks ago, a boss in a tall box near the river | + | and how, a couple of weeks ago, a boss in a tall box near the river\\ |
- | said "girl" | + | said "girl"\\ |
- | to one of the secretaries -- | + | to one of the secretaries --\\ |
- | and everybody -- mailroom clerks, secretaries, truck drivers, even analysts -- | + | and everybody -- mailroom clerks, secretaries, truck drivers, even analysts --\\ |
- | walked out, | + | walked out,\\ |
- | but then walked back in again | + | but then walked back in again\\ |
and sent the bosses home. | and sent the bosses home. | ||
- | Then, of course, the mayor called the cops, | + | |
- | the governor called the National Guard, | + | Then, of course, the mayor called the cops,\\ |
- | and the President the Army -- | + | the governor called the National Guard,\\ |
- | but everybody had been there, | + | and the President the Army --\\ |
- | everyone had been called "girl" or "boy" or "kike" or "Polack" or maybe "rookie" or "grunt" -- | + | but everybody had been there,\\ |
- | so our rulers called the cops, | + | everyone had been called "girl" or "boy" or "kike" or "Polack" or maybe "rookie" or "grunt" --\\ |
- | and they called the Marines, | + | so our rulers called the cops,\\ |
- | and they called and they called and they called and they called, | + | and they called the Marines,\\ |
- | but workers and neighbors argued with cops, joked with the Guard, | + | and they called and they called and they called and they called,\\ |
- | sang solidarity with the soldiers, | + | but workers and neighbors argued with cops, joked with the Guard,\\ |
- | and the now-rebel workers and soldiers beat up the few | + | sang solidarity with the soldiers,\\ |
- | who would not see reason, | + | and the now-rebel workers and soldiers beat up the few\\ |
- | and they all went home -- | + | who would not see reason,\\ |
- | or joined the crowd. | + | and they all went home --\\ |
- | So the American peoples said "Enough! It's all over!" | + | or joined the crowd.\\ |
- | and workers stopped working | + | So the American peoples said "Enough! It's all over!"\\ |
- | and crowds seduced armies | + | and workers stopped working\\ |
- | and only 18 died in all the Americas | + | and crowds seduced armies\\ |
+ | and only 18 died in all the Americas\\ | ||
and a few score more died, across the green globe. | and a few score more died, across the green globe. | ||
- | By the flickering light of the Tubes in the windows, | + | By the flickering light of the Tubes in the windows,\\ |
- | I wandered the next day | + | I wandered the next day\\ |
- | through grime-littered streets | + | through grime-littered streets\\ |
- | built by the defunct civilization | + | built by the defunct civilization\\ |
- | that brought us Agent Orange, pet stones, and AIDS for the millions, | + | that brought us Agent Orange, pet stones, and AIDS for the millions,\\ |
- | and I rejoiced as I dreaded | + | and I rejoiced as I dreaded\\ |
- | and I dreaded as I rejoiced. | + | and I dreaded as I rejoiced. |
- | And as I wandered, I wondered | + | And as I wandered, I wondered:\\ |
- | : | + | "What the hell do we do next?" |
- | "What the hell do we do next?" | + | |
- | I mean, after the subtle pleasures -- | + | I mean, after the subtle pleasures --\\ |
- | like making the bosses work 4 or 5 months doing some of the real fun jobs, | + | like making the bosses work 4 or 5 months doing some of the real fun jobs,\\ |
- | like helping move the nuclear reactors they had ordered built | + | like helping move the nuclear reactors they had ordered built\\ |
- | too close to the oceans’ rising seas | + | too close to the oceans’ rising seas\\ |
- | or changing the linens in the ICUs; | + | or changing the linens in the ICUs;\\ |
- | and letting the ex-cops sleep on the park benches | + | and letting the ex-cops sleep on the park benches\\ |
- | and on the floor of the bus station, | + | and on the floor of the bus station, \\ |
- | so we can cheerily poke them awake, | + | so we can cheerily poke them awake, \\ |
- | crying, "Time to move on now," with a big grin and a big stick. | + | crying, "Time to move on now," with a big grin and a big stick.\\ |
- | what the hell do we do next? | + | what the hell do we do next? |
- | Spectres hovered over my shoulder: | + | Spectres hovered over my shoulder:\\ |
- | the thousands of Communards gunned down by Reaction, | + | the thousands of Communards gunned down by Reaction,\\ |
- | Rosa and Karl murdered by the goon squads of social democracy, | + | Rosa and Karl murdered by the goon squads of social democracy,\\ |
- | the telephone exchange in Barcelona — | + | the telephone exchange in Barcelona — \\ |
- | where Uncle Joe "reached out and gouged someone," | + | where Uncle Joe "reached out and gouged someone,"\\ |
- | and throttled the soul of a revolution — | + | and throttled the soul of a revolution —\\ |
- | danced with dreams of ice picks in my fear-torn, grinning head. | + | danced with dreams of ice picks in my fear-torn, grinning head.\\ |
- | as I wondered, | + | as I wondered, \\ |
- | what the hell do we do next? | + | what the hell do we do next? |
Sure, the market had to go, but what would we replace it with? | Sure, the market had to go, but what would we replace it with? | ||
- | How would we get the food grown | + | How would we get the food grown\\ |
- | and have all the candy, bread, and roses we needed | + | and have all the candy, bread, and roses we needed\\ |
- | for the photo-journalists | + | for the photo-journalists\\ |
- | and our children? | + | and our children?\\ |
How would we live our meanings, and not just numbers? | How would we live our meanings, and not just numbers? | ||
- | How could we unleash the sleeping poetry? the smothered power to create that waits like crabgrass | + | How could we unleash the sleeping poetry? the smothered power to create that waits like crabgrass\\ |
- | in the brains and hands of everyone, | + | in the brains and hands of everyone,\\ |
- | even in the slit-eyed grimaces of the naysayers | + | even in the slit-eyed grimaces of the naysayers\\ |
- | who wear red tape | + | who wear red tape \\ |
instead of suspenders? | instead of suspenders? | ||
- | Like crabgrass, these five billion poets will shoot forth trillions of pages | + | Like crabgrass, these five billion poets will shoot forth trillions of pages \\ |
- | filled with tripe and doggerel | + | filled with tripe and doggerel\\ |
- | which someone – maybe even me -- would have to read, | + | which someone – maybe even me -- would have to read,\\ |
- | pages filled with crackpot ideas redolent of disaster, | + | pages filled with crackpot ideas redolent of disaster,\\ |
but salvation scattered throughout -- if we could find it. | but salvation scattered throughout -- if we could find it. | ||
- | So there I wandered, | + | So there I wandered,\\ |
- | thinking of the Galileos and Miltons we needed to create our new world, | + | thinking of the Galileos and Miltons we needed to create our new world,\\ |
- | and the humongous arguments that indeed filled our ears | + | and the humongous arguments that indeed filled our ears\\ |
- | as we shouted forth our insights against each other, | + | as we shouted forth our insights against each other,\\ |
- | and I pondered the epic mistakes our revolutionary democracy | + | and I pondered the epic mistakes our revolutionary democracy\\ |
- | was undoubtedly making | + | was undoubtedly making\\ |
- | even as I roved, wandered and scribbled | + | even as I roved, wandered and scribbled\\ |
- | through the rubble, the wonders, and the shoving salvation | + | through the rubble, the wonders, and the shoving salvation\\ |
- | as crabgrass pushes aside the arid asphalt of Madison Avenue | + | as crabgrass pushes aside the arid asphalt of Madison Avenue\\ |
- | to seek its sun | + | to seek its sun\\ |
- | and in so doing pushed the fears from my heart | + | and in so doing pushed the fears from my heart\\ |
- | (but not from my next-day mind) | + | (but not from my next-day mind)\\ |
- | and I walked grinning into the nearest party | + | and I walked grinning into the nearest party\\ |
- | to join the celebration | + | to join the celebration\\ |
- | and raised glass after glass in toasts of global unison | + | and raised glass after glass in toasts of global unison\\ |
- | with friends in Santos and Granada, Bangkok and Kampala, | + | with friends in Santos and Granada, Bangkok and Kampala,\\ |
Melbourne, Tacoma, Portland, and Detroit. | Melbourne, Tacoma, Portland, and Detroit. | ||
- | 2. E-mail from an 8 year old I received yesterday, December 2, 2117 | + | === 2. E-mail from an 8 year old I received yesterday, December 2, 2117 === |
Dear Sam, | Dear Sam, | ||
- | All the kids in my class admire | + | All the kids in my class admire\\ |
- | your poems of revolution, | + | your poems of revolution,\\ |
- | your verse on how bruised feelings | + | your verse on how bruised feelings\\ |
- | and hunger | + | and hunger\\ |
came to snap and cohere. | came to snap and cohere. | ||
- | But none of us can quite comprehend | + | But none of us can quite comprehend\\ |
the silly times you lived in. | the silly times you lived in. | ||
- | Why were all the TV shows | + | Why were all the TV shows\\ |
- | about cops and lawyers? | + | about cops and lawyers?\\ |
- | Weren’t more people killed by corporations | + | Weren’t more people killed by corporations\\ |
- | than by murderers? | + | than by murderers?\\ |
- | And just how were they different, | + | And just how were they different,\\ |
- | any how? | + | any how?\\ |
- | and didn’t shop stewards and community organizers | + | and didn’t shop stewards and community organizers\\ |
- | have more guts than any old cop? | + | have more guts than any old cop?\\ |
more sense than lawyers? | more sense than lawyers? | ||
- | And all those shows about love and sex? | + | And all those shows about love and sex?\\ |
- | Why would men want women so inane? | + | Why would men want women so inane?\\ |
And why were all their lines so trite? | And why were all their lines so trite? | ||
- | And work—we don’t understand work at all! | + | And work—we don’t understand work at all!\\ |
- | Why did any one work | + | Why did any one work\\ |
- | at such hateful jobs? | + | at such hateful jobs?\\ |
- | If engineers were so smart, | + | If engineers were so smart,\\ |
- | why did they design factories | + | why did they design factories\\ |
- | that poisoned all the whales? | + | that poisoned all the whales? \\ |
- | Whales were so cute! | + | Whales were so cute!\\ |
- | Why did they make it | + | Why did they make it\\ |
so we could never meet one? | so we could never meet one? | ||
- | Why would any one become a soldier? | + | Why would any one become a soldier?\\ |
- | When ordered to shoot their enemies, | + | When ordered to shoot their enemies,\\ |
- | why didn’t soldiers obey | + | why didn’t soldiers obey\\ |
and shoot their officers? | and shoot their officers? | ||
- | When the owners paid boys more than girls, | + | When the owners paid boys more than girls,\\ |
- | or whites more than blacks, | + | or whites more than blacks,\\ |
- | or old-timers more than new hires, | + | or old-timers more than new hires,\\ |
- | why didn’t the workers | + | why didn’t the workers\\ |
- | or Neighborhood Action Centers | + | or Neighborhood Action Centers\\ |
- | take over their workplaces | + | take over their workplaces\\ |
that very same day? | that very same day? | ||
- | Did kids after school | + | Did kids after school\\ |
- | play “Design a better air de-polluter” | + | play “Design a better air de-polluter”\\ |
- | or “Spin the Bottle” | + | or “Spin the Bottle”\\ |
- | at their Neighborhood Action Centers | + | at their Neighborhood Action Centers\\ |
the way we do now? | the way we do now? | ||
- | Why didn’t the grown-ups | + | Why didn’t the grown-ups\\ |
- | play baseball outside with their friends | + | play baseball outside with their friends\\ |
- | instead of watching it inside | + | instead of watching it inside\\ |
- | with their bags of potato chips? | + | with their bags of potato chips?\\ |
Didn’t they have any friends? | Didn’t they have any friends? | ||
- | And you, Sam? | + | And you, Sam? \\ |
We also just do not understand you. | We also just do not understand you. | ||
- | Why did you keep doing “AIDS research”? | + | Why did you keep doing “AIDS research”?\\ |
- | And what was “AIDS” anyway? What was “disease”? | + | And what was “AIDS” anyway? What was “disease”?\\ |
- | Why not retire | + | Why not retire\\ |
- | and work full time | + | and work full time\\ |
- | to bring on the revolution sooner, | + | to bring on the revolution sooner,\\ |
before all the whales had died? | before all the whales had died? | ||