The Arab Spring showed the West a powerful form of street protest. Thousands upon thousands took to the streets in Arab nations and, instead of politely goiing back home in the afternoon, stayed on the streets day and night putting immense pressure on corrupt governments. These Arab citizens gave the inspiration to citizens in so-called Western democracies to to occupy the streets. This form of protest started in Madrid, New York City, Athens and elsewhere to force radical changes in our corrupt governments and merciless explotation by major corporations of people and resources world wide. Occupy! sought social change and justice. The Occupy! movement really got underway in October 2011 – for some months – until the authorities closed it down. Nothing much changed …
In the midst of the protest last year, I wrote this poem.
OCCUPY!
We’ll occupy your banks as you write your cheques
we’ll occupy your bonuses and your stock exchange,
we’ll occupy your seats in the wine bars of the city
and occupy the board room of every committee.
Yes we can.
We’ll occupy your private jets on your flight,
we’ll occupy your race course and Formula One too,
we’ll occupy your yachts when you sail the Med,
we’ll occupy your mansions and we’ll occupy your bed.
Yes we can.
What happened to our saving and pensions, too?
What happened to the care and respect from you?
What happened to the guarding of the balance sheet?
Some think you are the rotten system,
the one per cent who cheat.
We want you to be happy,
we want you to be bold,
we want you, the one percent,
to come in from the cold.
We’ll occupy your TV and your newspapers,
we’ll occupy radio and Thought for the Day,
we’ll occupy your emails and your texts,
we’ll occupy your night club rooms that you book for sex.
Yes, we can.
You’ve made massive debts for years to come,
you’ve left us slaves to hardships and bills,
you’ve thus squeezed us all low and dry,
you‘ve left empty purses, and left hearts to cry.
We’ll occupy your oil fields in Libya,
we’ll occupy your politicians and police chiefs dear,
we’ll occupy your oil rig far out upon the sea,
we’ll occupy your toilets when you go to take your pee.
Yes we can.
We want you to be happy,
we want you to be bold
we want you, the one percent,
to come in from the cold.
We’ll occupy your restaurants and eat your caviar
we’ll sit at your table and we’ll occupy the bar,
we’ll occupy your lifestyle and your limousines,
we’ll occupy the opera, theatre and your dreams.
Yes we can.
Is money, money, money your daily fix?
Is money, money, money your daily drug?
Is it people, people, people, you then mug?
We want you to be happy,
we want you to be bold
we want you, the one percent,
to come in from the cold.
We’ll occupy the director’s box at the Chelsea games,
we’ll occupy at Man U and Liverpool, too,
we’ll occupy your seat at the next Olympics,
we’ll occupy your lawn of your salmon sandwich picnics.
Yes, we can.
We’ll occupy Wall Street, Tel Aviv and the city square
we’ll occupy Athens, Madrid , the Senate, we declare,
we’ll occupy towns and cities far and wide,
we’ll end the occupation and hear the Arab side.
Yes, we can.
We’re not the White House who kill upon demand,
we’re not the secret police to act upon command,
we’re not NATO who want to bomb you to hell
we are the 99% and, yes, we wish you well.
This is your chance to get off the hook,
this is your chance to share what you took,
this is your chance to show your true worth
this is your chance to take a new birth,
The City and the banks are truly blessed
Democracy is coming to the West.