Thursday, October 27, 2011

Soundtrack for “Occupy Wall Street”


I’ll never forget that night, rioting outside Adams House, to the sound of the Rolling Stones “Street Fighting Man”, which a thoughtful undergraduate had cued up, the speakers pointing outward, blaring from the open windows of his rooms.
We relished the militancy in the delivery, and in fragments of lines, not noticing the wry put-down in the song as a whole.  Same situation with that other demo favorite, the Beatles’ “Revolution”.
Afterwards, I returned to the dorm, bandana picturesquely awry, jeans torn in the scuffle, and exuding the manly scent of tear-gas:  to find, waiting, her, for whom my loins then thrilled -- nay, they thrill for her still (her tale is recounted here).  Demurely (waiting by the home-fires) she observed, that I resembled  at that moment  some kind of Eye Wobbly Wobbly. 
“I’ll be your Commie, if you’ll be my mommy,” I said.
“Any time, baby,” she replied.
And then we made love.
~     ~     ~

The tone and temper of these times  is different.  (My wife by the fire with her knitting;  and I reading the Farmers Almanac through my bifocals.)  But the old Stones -- though they may have gathered a bit of moss since then -- still chime in with appropriate vocals.
"I went down  to the demonstration,  to get my  fair share  of abuse ..."
 Going out to all the Occupiers …

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