My time at Zuccotti Park today, marking a full seven days of my "poetry occupation," was more dutiful than fervent, as I was feeling spent from all the week's activities. I lolled around the house until mid-afternoon and then set out walking in the direction of … [Read more...]

I got to Zuccotti Park shortly after 11 a.m., having hopped on the R train after my yoga class. I was just in time for the tail end of the march that was heading out to visit various Chase Bank sites in the Wall Street area before traveling uptown. This march was a … [Read more...]

Today, the watchword is, "Were you there this morning?" Although I arrived around 9:30, I have to answer "no," since the only there that counted was one's presence at 6 a.m., when defenders massed to forestall the threatened removal of rebellious bodies from … [Read more...]

Zuccotti Park was a hive of activity today, under a foggy sky with occasional drizzle. Mayor Bloomberg has announced that, starting at 7 a.m. tomorrow, occupiers will have to vacate the site so that it can be "cleaned," and will be allowed to return only under … [Read more...]

Today, I found the morning atmosphere at Broadway and Liberty Streets refreshingly calm,  short on yesterday's punk rockers, pushy policemen, and putative provocateurs. Perhaps the light drizzle and smaller sidewalk crowds were a contributing factor. I read … [Read more...]

It felt strange to read Audre Lorde's words to the Lower Manhattan crowd today. For some reason, the sign holders along Broadway were overwhelmingly male, as well as predictably pale, and because I always read with the fantasy that my voice is being heard (even … [Read more...]

Today, Monday, October 10th, was the first day of my poetry project in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street. The plan is simple: go to Zuccotti Park, Occupation headquarters, and stand on the park's periphery (Broadway, south of Liberty Street) alongside other sign … [Read more...]

Dear Comrade,You suggested that those of us who leafleted with USLAW at Zuccotti Park write up our impressions. Here are mine:It was such a joyful event, full of a sense of openness and discovery as the huge numbers of marchers streamed past the edge … [Read more...]

1. Most painful, she said, were her lemon trees, which she had nurtured for years and now lay crushed under the sandy soil crisscrossed with the marks of tank treads. “We have to go! But where can we go? Where do we go?” “We are like chickens. They decide … [Read more...]

WRITE-DOWN Selling begets more selling. --Sean Egan of the independent bond-rating firm Egan-Jones quoted in The New York Times, Sept. 16, 2008 Today’s tropes are maelstrom and marriage. The Street is “roiled,” “in turmoil.” Remember happy … [Read more...]