A friend just sent me this poem by Peter Marcuse, included with the Afterword of the 2012 Routledge book Cities for People, Not for Profit: from what I can see, the book itself seems to be linked with a special issue of the journal City from 2009 available here and was commented on pre-publication at Progressive Geographies here.
“Light verse”
When it comes to the Right to the City,
Don’t get mired just in some nitty-gritty,
Maybe break for a ditty,
Even if it isn’t so witty,
Making it boring would be a real pity.
You need to understand class,
If you don’t want to fall on your ass;
It isn’t so easy,
But if you get queasy,
And fudge it, you’ll lose it, alas.
If to critical theory you’ve aspired,
But in abstractions have gotten yourself mired,
Link your theory with action,
Help theory get traction,
You’ll get clearer, be useful — and tired.
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