Corset (Emma Goldman) Poem by 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. 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 certainly 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?