As if performing my piece “When Hope Comes Back: A Poem for the 99%” the other night amongst the 10,000 good folks at OccupyCal wasn’t powerful enough,  the response since then has been very humbling. The poem seems to have hit a chord with people, as much as their Occupy actions have reopened a deep-seeded rebel optimism in me. Hey, I guess that’s why they call it call and response. Let’s hope our collective call for change just gets some positive response too.

Someone just sent me a higher-quality video of the piece, which includes some of the subtle (and not-so-subtle) punchlines that the other videos didn’t capture. The introduction is from the great Lynne Savio Hollander, widow of the Free Speech Movement hero whose legacy we were honoring, Mario Savio.

Despite the crackdown at Cal, Oakland, New York, and a dozen other cities this week, the Occupy movement is continuing to grow and build in new, innovative, sometimes complicated ways. We will see (and help determine) what happens, but what I do know is, there’s a new energy in the air and in the streets of America. It’s about time.

So once again, for everyone out there making their voices heard, with or without our Occupying tents, this is for you. When Hope Comes Back.