Returning to California

My subgroup of seasoned radical environmental/

Peace and justice activists were denied housing in

Washington D.C., due to the classic failure of

America's left wing to cooperate for success.

It is that simple. As the United States of America

Goes over the fiscal cliff, and D.C. itself figures out

What to do about its own colossal depression of spirit,

As nearby Philadelphia struggles ever onward, and

New York City mops up storm water, I take to heart

A message received today from Oakland, pointing out

That long ago the U.S. left wing became centralized

Politically, hooked on a bourgeois lifestyle, and all

That remains are "loonies on the fringe" and myself

As a left wing dinosaur! I must say, that after 40 years Of frontline participation, it never occurred to me that

I would end up in a museum.

Craig Louis Stehr

13.XII.'12

Written at Saxby's Coffee House

University Mall (near George Mason University)

Fairfax, Virginia