the union and the onion

I am a union
I am an onion
How many unions am I in
How many onions are under my sink
I am a worker
I am a newspaper
I am a partner
I am a crier
I am the words
I am the layers

I am the words but it isn’t dirty newsprint
that’s messy with my tears
I’m tired of workers (colleagues) left behind
I am the set of shit that breaks me
shit that makes me (∪)
How’s that for some Venn diagram
set theory
Because in this deck of cards
Life dealt me a real nice batch
But it ain’t as simple
as game, set, match
How many unions am I in
How many onions are under my sink
Union onion funyun yum yum
I am fun — Are you flamin’ hot
Am I about to get got
if I swallow my words
am I sinking my union pride
during this just transition high tide
Or am I sinking my teeth into the earth
Eating those fruity pebbles and a rich stone hearth
As I build my own ground source heat pump
I am reminded of that onion
whose seeds someone sunk into the soil
I am reminded of that green onion
that I sunk my knife’s blade into
Then the tears of joy
Yes, the tears of grief
That singed my eyes
Those tears, providing relief
How many unions am I in
I am a worker, progressive
I am a partner, forever
I am the words, together
How many onions are under my sink
I am a newspaper, funny not funny
I am a crier, f’ugly not f’ugly
I am the layers, together

Welcome to the barter economy
We wear onions on our belt as is the style in this day
If you’re down with organized labor, say hey
Cuz here’s what I’m trading
Trading four bars with my percussive prior self
Trading six packs with colleagues after finding tech glitches got me in stitches
Trading an eight legged spider for eight armed octopuses
Crawling out at my lunch break
finding that food truck with perfectly fine pupusas
Trading three sheets in the four winds
Trading my eyeglasses for a telescope lens
Not sure which direction this ship is taking me
North south east west
We’re all pirates, it’s a journey
Welcome to the barter economy
We’re selling onions, they’re union made
Hey, cry about it or be about it
But the onions are layered
And so are the unions
And so are the newspapers
And so are my stories
That’s what makes them strong
in this barter economy