A hearty congratulations to Mankh (Walter E. Harris III), Axis of Logic columnist and resident poet, for the publication of his exciting new anthology, The (Un)Occupy Movement. This anthology is a topical, historical, forward-thinking, and holistic look at some of the problems Mother Earth and humanity are facing and how to solve them.
From the challenge laid down by Tiokasin Ghosthorse in "Children of the Sun: prosetry unplugged,"
"become the warrior that we have expected you to be. our bodies are in the soul and that soul is your responsibility. tonight we will use the energy properly. some of you disagree. i disagree with a system that is an enemy to the natural world. the next move is yours."
to David B. Axelrod's "The Impending Election" ... "Here are your choices. Vote for the candidate who steals openly or secretly, who lies plainly or with a coy smile," Mankh has identified the manifold expressions of dissidence from Tahrir Sqare to Oakland and found at their center a prism from which our true selves are reflected. The resulting artistry promises new gifts each time it is picked up from the coffee table or bedside stand.
The book features prose and poetry from twenty-two writers, including voices from Canada, from the Dakota and Cheyenne River Lakota Nation, the Shawnee and Lenape, a Tibetan Buddhist practitioner, eight Long Island poets, three activists of the Deep Green Resistance movement, a sixteen-year-old, and more.
From the introduction: As the title suggests, there is an “Occupy Movement” (begun with Occupy Wall Street) that has stirred the so-called American melting pot from its backburner state. Suddenly, things are cooking and more and more People are getting a whiff of the spirited air. Yet, from the perspective of the First Nations or Natives, the land has been unjustly occupied since 1492. Indigenous Peoples around the globe are dealing with similar issues. Hence, “Unoccupy Movement.”
Read the full introduction, plus excerpts at Allbook Books The book sells for $15, and $18 shipped. It is 144 pages, printed on 100% recycled papers. You can order directly from Mankh's literary website, or send a check to:
Allbook Books The following essay provides a good overview of the collection: (Un) Occupy Movement Consciousness The Occupy Movement in the U.S.A. is recognized as an extension of protests begun in North Africa at the start of 2011 and continuing in the Mid-East and Europe through the summer, until manifesting in the Western Hemisphere at the beginning of autumn. Perceived to be a response to a social structure of inequality during the past three decades, the inequities are, in reality, much older than that. The Unoccupy Movement is a response, quite for the expression of dissatisfaction with the system, yet essentially against the word choice, “occupy.” The Indigenous peoples of North America, while in full support of a truly egalitarian society -- as they have naturally lived this way -- balk at the choice of the word, occupy, for its historical connotations. The original inhabitants have suffered for more than five centuries in their homeland while under occupation by European settlers. If we are to have an egalitarian society among all human beings, then the First Peoples must be an equal part of the movement. The irony of a human movement springing forth in Egypt, a cradle of western civilization, is not lost on some observers. A greater irony is that the first impulse for greater freedom emanated from the northern part of a continent in which inhabitants, four centuries ago, were sold in slavery; they endured bondage for over half their history in a new world before being freed and begrudgingly granted, in theory, equal status. If we are to have an egalitarian society among all human beings, then nonwhite non-Europeans must be an equal part of the movement.
Equally ironic is the movement’s growth and continuance in the cradle of democracy, Greece, in a part of the world where patriarchy came to power, four to five millenniums ago, and Women, half the population, became subjugated by an elitist system, including the so-called democracy of ancient Greece. If we are to have an egalitarian society among all human beings, then Women must be an equal part of the movement.
It would be remiss to neglect the most recent subgroup of Homo sapiens pressing for equal rights — the gay (more properly identified as the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community, who have suffered under patriarchy as long as women have. If we are to have an egalitarian society among all human beings, then the LGBT community must be an equal part of the movement.
As we all recognize each other as true equals, there are paradigms with which we must keep our consciousness unoccupied. Foremost, the illusion foisted upon us throughout recorded history that there is an elite subgroup, due to whatever circumstances, who have the right to decide and rule over the fate of our species, other species dependent on our stewardship, and the viability of the planet itself. We also must have our minds unoccupied by what shall surely be presented by elitism before our collective vision: the coin of the realm, containing its two faces of carrot and stick — desire and fear. It is natural within human consciousness to desire beneficial outcomes while desiring to avoid detrimental outcomes. Elitists knowingly play upon this psychology in order to manipulate and control us to their advantage and our disadvantage. What shall elitism offer in terms of desires? History shows us it will give the absolute minimum required to placate us — a slightly bigger piece of the pie, when by rights we deserve practically the entire product of what life offers, in proportion to our numbers. Regardless of how it is sliced we will be given crumbs, never being offered the intangibles we seek with each other— compassionate sharing of contentment. Elitists, with rationalized disdain for those less fortunate, have created a heartless system that, unable to fulfill our true desires, is unworthy of our time and attention. Our love for one another will transcend their hollow materialism.
What will the elitism offer in the form of fears? Once more, history shows it will target foreign enemies (who will be held responsible for our domestic plight), so as to unite us to do battle, while dis- tracting us from the true source of our troubles and with whom we must struggle, elitism itself. Ultimately, the final trump card in the elitist trick-deck is the specter of death. If the alternative is existing here as inferiors to a very small percentage of our own kind, we would be better served not living at all. If the vast majority of us wish to attain the summit of complete equality, we must be willing to pay the ultimate price.
With what must we keep our consciousness occupied? We follow all those who have gone before us; for their lifelong struggles to make equality a reality, some are greatly admired while far many more will remain unknown. Although the struggle for freedom is as old as recorded history, we must be encouraged by the fact that we are, for the very first time, uniting together worldwide as one conscious species. There is no greater cause for which to devote one’s life than the complete liberation of the entire human race.
PO Box 562
Selden, NY 11784
by Onan Musoy
Mankh (Walter E. Harris III) is an essayist and resident poet on Axis of Logic. In addition to his work as a writer, he is a small press publisher and Turtle Islander. He recently edited and published the book, The (Un)Occupy Movement: Autonomy of Consciousness, Practical Solutions, Human Equality