A short note about Solidarity in a Minute 46:

Solidarity in a minute 46 grew out of my experiences as a labor activist and organizer.

One of the things you discover very quickly when you’re trying to organize any workforce that historically has been unorganized — in my case, it was adjunct college instructors — is that sometimes the bosses’ best weapons are your colleagues. I’d never seen a situation where so many educated people could agree that their work life was terrible, but couldn’t agree on anything else, including how (or if) to fight back.

This poem is also my reaction to the post-election protest explosion. Many on the political left have good intentions and are passionate, but don’t seem to want to actually organize for a long term fight — which it will be. Getting rid of Trump won’t solve the evil he’s drawn to the surface. We can’t afford to play King of the Mountain or My Politics are More Radical than Your Politics. Any chance at mass organizing is becoming increasingly difficult.

That I’ve been criticized for being publicly critical of the radical left only reinforces the lesson I learned trying to organize adjuncts: sometimes the best weapons the bosses have are our comrades, colleagues, and friends.

The music soundtrack for this poem, is “Way” by Dark Sunn and is used under a Creative Commons Licensing Agreement.

Listen here: Solidarity in a Minute 46

Mick Parsons most recently performed at GonzoFest 2017 in Louisville, KY. He’s emceed and founded open mics all over the Midwest.  His work has appeared in Pegasus, Inscape: A Visual Arts and Literary Journal, Louisville Unknown, Antique Children, American Mythville Review, and elsewhere. He’s been a freelance muckraker at LEO Weekly, and a labor activist, and is a lifelong contrarian. He is the author of two poetry collections, several chapbooks, a collection of short stories, and a novella. Follow him on Twitter @dirtysacred.

Header Image: Creative Commons, Public Domain photo, modified.