"Corset: Emma Goldman," by Anne Waldman: a selection from OccupyWriters.com

Emma Goldman, 1901 arrest mug shot

(Library of Congress)

"Corset: Emma Goldman"

(in memory of Kathy Acker)

Anne Waldman

what is it to be corset maker binding the bone and cotton in a daily sweat of labor and purpose what is it to know the sweat of all you my sister workers of daily living surviving an economic purse-string purpose what is it to be declared the most dangerous of purpose when J. Edgar Hoover has your number and what is it here now in St Petersburg hungry and anxious and soul-stirring for surviving my purpose what is the cause of insomniac passion my further disillusionment in your systems in your many systems in all the systems that bind the bone in this labor to you who will always profit off the labor of Emma’s hands sewing binding aching toiling bone and cotton in the class struggle a dangerous purpose you want to call it that why you can call it that and it’s so much more but do call it that and you will I’m sure call it that and most dangerous of violence and terror too and you want to call it that? Why you can call it that and it’s so much more but do call it that and you will I’m sure call it that and most dangerous of violence and terror too and what of a Spanish Civil War I’ll call wake up all minions! I’ll call: arise! and would cast in a daily sweat of labor a struggle a sweet edge that way for it’s an energy of daily sweat and toil to be free of the fascisms of how and when and why and why o never free of J. Edgar Hoover but my imagination ever free of the imagination of J. Edgar Hoover who will surely most certainly have your number in his fractious labor and psychopathic toil even now when he the ghost of fractious J. Edgar Hoover is stalking haunting the work places the meeting places the “commune” of all my sweat and purpose…what is it to be a large woman be-speckled and intent in my libertarian socialist moment you want to call it that? Why you can call it that and it’s so much more but do call it that and you will I’m sure call it that and most dangerous of violence and terror to incite a riot what is it to be thus called trouble and to be forever “unpopular with authorities” to be watched and goaded and arrested and in lock-down what kind of terror moment is this and will it survive and assassinate a president this kind of moment will it will it survive McKinley will it survive psychopathic fractious J. Edgar Hoover and will the ghosts of Haymarket stalk the Union Hall still in that old purpose and will that will now sisters break the corset that binds the moment?

"Corset: Emma Goldman" by Anne Waldman appears at the OccupyWriters website, which invites all writers to sign and contribute.