Book reading Lucky Bar after a long strange week,
“Chaos is merely order waiting to be deciphered.”
Thank you Lucky Bar.
Thank you Abby.
Thank you for coming.
Greetings, poets,
Brad Vogel
Ronald Lieber, Alyssa Court, Ray Black, JC Augustin, Caitlin McDonnell and anyone else who wants to read a poem.
There is no doubt that this is the time of comrades and free thoughts, all of us looking out for each other, reading poems, thinking, looking for connections and solutions.
Let's all read a poem or two about our friends or fights.
And try to tell us what it means.
Why did you read it?
After all,
conflict is everywhere.
The question is how do we use the fights?
How do we learn from a good fight, and stay clear or a bad fight?
I’ll start with a few excerpts and comments on Activism, Friendship and Fighting.
I completed Rebel Friendships, my first book on friendship, ten years ago, unpacking the poetry of our friendships,
Valorizing our affinity groups, my beloved cohorts of friends who I see in the streets beating back the alienation of the city, planting gardens and acting up.
The epigraph began with Walt’s words:
“I dream’d in a dream, I saw a city invincible to the
attacks of the whole of the rest of the earth;
I dream’d that was the new City of Friends;
Nothing was greater there than the quality of robust
love—it led the rest;
It was seen every hour in the actions of the men of
that city,
And in all their looks and words.”
That was the city I wanted to live in, a city of friends, meeting on the bridges, in the parks, greeting each other in the commons and union hall, union square, along the waterfront.
I told my mentor, the labor historian Stanley Aronowitz about the project
We talked about Whitman and contradictions of friendships,
The fights.
What about the clashes?
What comes of them?
How do we learn from them, I asked him.
He suggested I write about Trotsky and Stalin if I wanted to learn about a fight.
I wanted something a little more dialectical than one person stabbing the other.
Those were the last words I had with Stanley in 2021.
When he died, I found myself thinking about Eros and Civilization, the great union hall, a book reading after 9/11, drafting a few words:
For Stanley,
It was always about that factory.
Factory as a place for reproduction.
For knowledge production.
For a means of production.
For autonomy.
For class struggle.
For observation.
For a union hall.
For breaks.
For reimagining the working day.
For reading a novel.
For organizing.
For getting away with it.
For false promises.
Maybe it was the place where we let it get away?
Marx had his library.
Borges had his labyrinth.
Stanley had his factory, ever descending into the dark depths, getting lost, coming out with books.
I loved going there with him.
He was the consummate tour guide.
As my next friendship book came along,
I convened a panel at the Howard Zinn Book Fair with some old friends from New York who’d made their way out West. I knew Eddie Yuen and Andrej Grubačić fifteen years prior, when we were all in an anarchist reading group together. We spent many hours unpacking dynamics of movements and asking questions about history. Eddie argued that today’s call-out culture makes it hard for friendships to endure conflict. Email and social media only add to the complicated mix. During our panel, we discussed how
differences are everywhere in our movements and organizing, but there are also intersections, entanglements, and commonalities. After all, friendships still support movements in countless ways. You see it in gestures of mutual aid extending through movements. We talked a lot about Critical Mass and the relationships that grow out of all those rides.
Yuen read a poem written in 1958 by the Greek communist poet Yannis Ritsos, “The Twelve Chapters of Doftana Prison”:
Here the rain’s speech stops.
. . . . A wall becomes a wall.
A comrade becomes a comrade.
Framed letters from prisoners.
Framed poems. I know the handwriting.
I see the hand of Tataki and Belogianni.
The letters of prisoners are all the same.
Prisons around the world are all the same.
Even resolve and its smile colors every lip the same.
Poems scratched upon walls using fingernails,
the repetition of certain words—always a red dawn at the end of every night,
red words, red blood, eyes red from vigilance,
friendly repetitions—like heart beats repeating,
like iambs in a demotic song repeating,
like sobs of grief repeating
like cheers at an October parade repeating.
It's the blood of fighters that makes the first real poem….perhaps its precisely these,
my most beautiful poems, that I can offer to you, my comrades.
I found myself in jail, in a holding cell last week, looking at the writing on the wall. That's when you know it's real, the yearning, the boredom, the wanderlust.
We learn who our real friends are in such moments of conflict and duress. Of course, the conflict the poem refers to—dovetailing from World War II to the Cold War to the dissolution of Yugoslavia—involves the opposite of friendship. It is the polarization we see everywhere; antagonism that seems to be multiplying….when fights among friends escalate and neighbors pick up guns.
Yet, what is it about us, that years to fight?
Sitting at Barbes, a jazz bar in Brooklyn where I meet friends every week to wind down, one shared with me modernist poet Marianne Moore’s most famous work,
“In Distrust of Merits”:
“Strengthened to live, strengthened to die for
medals and positioned victories?
They’re fighting, fighting, fighting the blind
man who thinks he sees,—
who cannot see that the enslaver is
enslaved; the hater, harmed.
There never was a war that was
not inward; I must
fight till I have conquered in myself what
causes war, but I would not believe it”
I do get a sense that we can transcend distrust, if we look inward,
We can work through the battles inside and out.
As Hermann Hesse says: “We are never stirred up by something which does not already exist within us.” Ever stirred by our friends and ourselves.
That's what I read at Lucky Bar on Ave B yesterday.
After the reading, I posted a note about what everyone else said.
Mom and I had lunch and talked about New Orleans.
And I biked through a crisp March day, back to Abby at Lucky Bar, where we met before the drag. Brad was there, sharing stories about adventures screaming about common sense and thomas paine, and Jenny and I talked about Elizabeth Street Garden, and Melissa and I talked about michael's overdose, and Andrew and I talked about the Belarusian resistance movement, the revolutionary possibility of our comrades, our free thoughts, and Alissa talked about replacing doomscrolling with poetry, and Caitlin told stories about pandemic times, and May read stories about veal parmesan carbone, and Ray read about his friend Howard, who died right before protease inhibitors, he saw him get sick that winter:
“Just Before the Cocktails Came
It was unexpected to find myself young during a time of war
When the bombs fell selectively, precisely,
And strangers sitting near me on the subway knew nothing at all.
There were two cities then, AIDStown and New York.
A person lived in one place or the other,
Two universes running parallel within the same world at once.”
Sitting there listening, Andrew thought about his sister’s friend Michael who died of AIDS in 1991.
JC read about the rats taking over.
And Brad read poems about screaming at the morning, riding on canoes, meeting us all in the ferrell pockets.
Anne stood up to share a moment.
And Youngman, my colleague from the PSC and arrest buddy, read:
“Trepidation has all over our experiences.
I see frightened faces everywhere. I hear angry voices surrounded.
When I look up to Ben, he shares a story of love.
Black and white, those are the only choices in people's minds. Right or wrong, voices force them to choose based on their preconceived determination.
Fragile as a body goes and drained in spirits, hopes crumble down.
In a trance, I embrace my lover's presence. Joy and sadness bring awareness.
When we find Ben where everything has lost, a gleam of beliefs has shone through.
Coziness envelope while longing for lover's touch. Angry winds blow outside as if clearing the malice of the world. A jolt in the heart brings pride to our children. A flickering light reminds me of the fragile nature of life.
When everyone screams with agony and misery, Ben will be there. Yet he needs me in the jail cell.
One day more. We walk together until no more.”
Athena recited
“our deepest fear” by Marianne Williamson, words she’d memorized:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Some guy sang some songs. It takes a village said Abby.
It started to rain.
And I rode home for victor serge reading group, thinking about what everyone had said.
The whole week had been a blur.
From a road trip to Boston to pick up the teenager,
To a lot of talk about poetry and friendship, stories of conflicts and connections, and separations through time.
The day before the reading, my friends were taking part in
An amazing solemn die in. People are out every day, pushing back in thousands of ways.
Friday, sirens and police fill the streets, cuts, people in the streets, chatting about it all with Brad, hoping we can make it.
Thursday, Jewish Voices for Peace reported:
“ Hundreds of US Jews and friends are taking over the Trump Tower to say: Come for one, face us all. On Saturday, ICE agents abducted Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist, recent graduate of Columbia University and U.S. permanent resident as he returned home from an Iftar with his wife, who is 8 months pregnant. Mahmoud’s abduction by ICE marks a new, severe escalation in the Trump administration’s attack on the movement for Palestinian freedom in the US, which has aimed its first crackdown at universities where students have organized. Trump boasted about the abduction, including with a post saying “Shalom Mahmoud,” claiming it was for the purpose of fighting antisemitism. But Mahmoud’s kidnapping has nothing to do with Jewish safety. The Trump administration thinks it can crush dissent and strip away constitutional rights. We know this playbook. We refuse to allow our neighbors to be abducted in our name.
Under the guise of fighting antisemitism, the Trump regime is using attacks on the movement for Palestinian freedom as an opening to dismantle civil liberties and the entire progressive movement. This is how fascism works. We refuse to be divided or silenced.
Today, Mahmoud is being detained over 1,000 miles away from his home inside a notorious Louisiana ICE facility. The Trump administration has vowed to deport him despite his status as a U.S. permanent resident. These are the actions of an authoritarian government trying to destroy our movements — because they are scared of our power.
As Jews, we are taking over the Trump Tower to register our mass refusal. We will not stand by as this fascist regime attempts to criminalize Palestinians and all those calling for an end to the Israeli government’s US-funded genocide of the Palestinian people. And we will never stop fighting for a free Palestine.
If you come for one, you face us all.
Free Mahmoud, free Palestine!
@alexabwilkinson @sofiafani
Reporting on the case on March 10, 2025, Michelle Goldberg, wrote in the New York Times:
On Tuesday, March 11th, PSC president James Davis sent a letter to CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez calling for swift and decisive action in response to federal agents’ arrest and detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a green card-holding permanent resident who had participated in protests against the war in Gaza while he was a student at Columbia.
“Over the weekend, ICE agents entered a Columbia University-owned residence and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a green card-holding permanent resident who had participated in protests against the war in Gaza while he was a student. The order to detain and deport Mr. Khalil came directly from the White House, according to The Department of Homeland Security. He has been held in Louisiana, 1,000 miles from his home. The detention of Mr. Khalil is an act of intimidation that undermines our constitutional right to speak out, whether or not we are U.S. citizens. This brazen violation of the Constitution should concern us all. Mr. Khalil has not been charged with a crime. As legal residents, green card holders have broad rights, including protection by all laws of the United States, the person’s state of residence, and local jurisdictions. Only an immigration judge has the authority to revoke a student or work visa or a green card. There is a reason that New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg considers Mr. Khalil’s detention “the greatest threat to free speech since the Red Scare.”1 President Trump has cast all campus protests against Israel as “terrorist sympathizers” and called Mr. Khalil “the first arrest of many to come.”2 The PSC calls on you, Chancellor, to publicly affirm: ● The rights of CUNY students who are here on student visas, and CUNY faculty and staff who hold Green cards or work visas, to exercise their legal right of speech and assembly. ● The prohibition against Department of Homeland Security agents, including ICE officers, from entering CUNY facilities without presenting a judicial warrant to a college’s legal counsel or the director of security. Yesterday, following last week’s cancellation of $400 million in federal contracts with Columbia University, the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights notified 60 universities they will be investigated for alleged failure to properly handle charges of antisemitic discrimination and harassment. These are exceedingly perilous times for democracy and the rule of law. The deportation of a student protestor with permanent resident status and a green card is a travesty. Any number of CUNY's international students, faculty and staff are at risk. It is critical that your administration make a public commitment to protecting the constitutional rights of members of the CUNY community
Tuesday, I attended the ACT UP emergency town hall, standing room only. Health care is a right. Health care is a right.
WHAT: ACT UP Emergency Town Hall
WHEN: Tues March 11, 7-9PM
WHERE: LGBTQ+ Center (208 W. 13th St.)
TRAINS: A,C,E,1,2,3 to 14th St.
**Masks Required**
March 11, 2025 – New York, NY – On Tuesday, March 11, ACT UP New York (AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power) will convene an Emergency Town Hall to mobilize activists, policymakers, and community members to defend the healthcare of New Yorkers in the face of unprecedented attacks from the Trump administration and Elon Musk. In recent weeks, President Trump has fired thousands of workers from the NIH, CDC, FDA, and USAID and frozen or slashed billions of dollars in healthcare funding, endangering the health of Americans and poor or sick people around the world who rely on that aid. Organizers have invited local politicians and health officials to ask them to commit to protect New Yorkers’ healthcare in light of these cuts. The activists seek to unite the movements supporting HIV/AIDS justice, reproductive rights, transgender healthcare, pandemic preparedness, immigrant protections, and housing because they see these struggles as deeply connected.
“Our best chance of fighting these relentless Trump attacks is for New York to come together as one,” said ACT UP member Evan Sachs. “Trump and Musk are risking our lives with all of these cuts to healthcare.”
Activists point to the upcoming mayoral race as central to the future of healthcare in New York City, urging candidates and lawmakers to establish the city as a healthcare sanctuary for all. And they worry about Eric Adams’ existing ties to Donald Trump and the potential for Andrew Cuomo to cut deals with Trump that aren’t in New Yorkers’ best interest.
“All New York mayoral candidates, even Eric Adams and Andrew Cuomo, must commit to fighting Donald Trump’s ongoing attacks on healthcare and vulnerable New Yorkers,” said Lola Coleman Alvarez of ACT UP. “We want to see the city’s free clinics for sexual health services and covid, rsv and flu testing and treatment expanded with an emphasis on gender-affirming healthcare and protections for immigrant New Yorkers seeking services.”
Town hall organizers plan to forge a strategy with attendees that includes working within legislative channels while also mobilizing public pressure and direct action. They hope the event will shape the fight for a just and livable New York City.
Monday,
Rode my bike over to the rally for Mahmoud Khalil at Foley Square.
@annechristinedadesky says "RIP US Constitution" "RIP Civil Rights"
Kate Barnart writes: It doesn’t matter whether you agree with the protest- if ICE can swoop in and take away someone’s green card and “disappear” then for protesting, all of our free speech and right to protest is on the line.
First they came for…
After the action, I posted
Strange, I didn't know the US constitution has an asterix on it that says we have a right to free speech, except for Palestine. Strange day yesterday. My friends abroad now consider the US the enemy. Thanks Trump. In the meantime, a student with a greencard was detained by ICE. Went to the protests at Fed Plaza, with first they came for Mohamed signs. And then to the St Marks Theater for Shakespeare in Yiddish, including a show stopping briss for Caesar. Ahh New York, ever lurching forward and backward. In the meanwhile, a judge halted the deportation. And the US economy is tanking, as big surprise, tariffs don't seem to be working and safeguards against infectious diseases are down, staffers fired. What could possibly go wrong? Says the ny times: "Ontario Hits Michigan, Minnesota and New York With Electricity Surcharge Premier Doug Ford warned that he was prepared to cut off power exports to the three states entirely as long as President Trump’s tariff threats remain."
I had spent the day drafting an outline for a class talk on Doppleganger.
“Chaos is merely order waiting to be deciphered.” José Saramago, part of the introduction for Doppelganger by Naomi Klein.
The words felt particularly prophetic.
“In the Mirror World, conspiracy theories detract attention from the billionaires who fund the networks of misinformation and away from the economic policies—deregulation, privatization, austerity—that have stratified wealth so cataclysmically in the neoliberal era. They rile up anger about the Davos elites, at Big Tech and Big Pharma—but the rage never seems to reach those targets. Instead it gets diverted into culture wars about anti-racist education, all-gender bathrooms, and Great Replacement panic directed at Black people, non white immigrants, and Jews. Meanwhile, the billionaires who bankroll the whole charade are safe in the knowledge that the fury coursing through our culture isn’t coming for them… Like my doppelganger projecting all of our surveillance fears on a vaccine app, conspiracy theorists get the facts wrong but often get the feelings right”
― Naomi Klein, Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World
On Pandemics, Charles Kenny, wrote about the five year anniversary of the COVID Pandemic in the NYTimes:
“Global surveys suggest there’s been declining support for representative democracy since the Covid pandemic. In Britain, the proportion of people who viewed it as a very good way to govern was down to 31 percent in 2023 from 43 percent in 2017. In Germany, the figure dropped to 37 percent from 46 percent over the same period. The world appears still in a febrile political period, as incumbents around the globe continue to be ousted from office…We are seeing similar bifurcation today: Some countries, including Germany, embraced migration as a solution to ongoing labor shortages, while others put in place ever tighter immigration limits. There was only an upside to labor scarcity for most people in Western Europe after the plague because the government’s attempts to freeze wages didn’t stick…History shows us we can salvage something from the wreckage of a pandemic if we choose — that is, if we don’t remain befuddled by Covid fog. If we double down on medical mistrust, cut funding for research and global cooperation and continue to turn inward, recovery will be stunted and the impact of a future pandemic could be even worse.”
It's odd to think the backlashes we are experiencing date back to COVID, but certainly the chaos that Klein write about, the racializing of epidemics, references to “KungFlu” harken to dark periods, the Four H’s at the beginning of AIDS, when Haitians, Homosexuals, Hemophiliacs, and Heroin users were viewed as high risk groups.
The alienation was everywhere, kids staying home from school, all of us isolated from each other.
The attacks on immigrants we’ve seen harken by bygone eras. We recall the Espionage Act and the Sacco and Vanzetti Murders, when Italian immigrants and anarchists, were convicted and executed in 1927, their trial a symbol of the Red Scare and anti-immigrant sentiment.
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