Occupy Writers

More than 3,000 writers have signed their support for Occupy Wall Street and the Occupy Movement around the world. You’ll find their names listed alphabetically at the Occupy Writers website. Some of the writers have submitted “Occupy Writings.” I’m posting excerpts from the Occupy Writings of two authors—Daniel Handler, aka Lemony Snicket, and Alice Walker.

The World We Want Is Us
By Alice Walker

It moves my heart to see your awakened faces;

the look of “aha!”

shining, finally, in

so many

wide open eyes.

Yes, we are the 99%

all of us

refusing to forget

each other

no matter, in our hunger, what crumbs

are dropped by

the 1%.

Click here to read the rest of The World We Want Is in Us and Walker’s other poem the joyful news of your arrest.

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Thirteen Observations made by Lemony Snicket while watching Occupy Wall Street from a Discreet Distance

6. Nobody wants to fall into a safety net, because it means the structure in which they’ve been living is in a state of collapse and they have no choice but to tumble downwards. However, it beats the alternative.

9. People gathering in the streets feeling wronged tend to be loud, as it is difficult to make oneself heard on the other side of an impressive edifice.

10. It is not always the job of people shouting outside impressive buildings to solve problems. It is often the job of the people inside, who have paper, pens, desks, and an impressive view.

11. Historically, a story about people inside impressive buildings ignoring or even taunting people standing outside shouting at them turns out to be a story with an unhappy ending.

12. If you have a large crowd shouting outside your building, there might not be room for a safety net if you’re the one tumbling down when it collapses.

13. 99 percent is a very large percentage. For instance, easily 99 percent of people want a roof over their heads, food on their tables, and the occasional slice of cake for dessert. Surely an arrangement can be made with that niggling 1 percent who disagree.

You can read the rest of Lemony Snicket's Thirteen Observations here.

(Note: There's information about how one can join Occupy Writers at their website.)

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At Wild Rose Reader, I have an original poem about the Petrified Forest titled Fossil Forest.

Karissa has the Poetry Friday Roundup at The Iris Chronicles.