There are many ways
to labour but they are not all equally
respected or valued. Our perceptions have become colonial.
Our perspectives have skewed or, to be
both blunt and colloquial,
our ideas about labour are fucked. And it causes our lives to kind
of suck and it is past time we unfuck it up.
There are many ways
to labour, but birth comes first.
From nine months or so - from the moment you as a human being slid or maybe sort
of burst into this world, someone laboured
to grow, and feed, and care for you maybe
luckily several someones
maybe likely mostly women and girls.
I read an article recently about
research which documented that
historically
the household labour given the highest
value in society is
1)usually done sporadically and 2) most
often associated with masculinity so
like: taking the garbage out, or lawn care,
or possibly occasional small engine
repair. Never mind
if you're reading this while you fold
the one millionth freshly laundered pair
of underwear for your family
while you also homeschool, clean up dog
drool, make breakfast, and snack, and lunch,
and snack, and dinner, and snack, and snack,
and snack
while you carry little ones answering
all their questions
till your brain and your back are beyond sore -
except then you gotta run pick up some
stuff, pick up some shifts at the store - 
except even that doesn't feel normal
anymore and it shouldn't
because working in any industry that
involves service, if you weren't already nervous or
low-key terrified of having to interact
with the public during a pandemic, which
let's be honest,
hasn't brought out all of our best sides
especially now that the kudos have gone
quiet,
now that your paycheck is back on its
starvation diet because even though
you are an essential frontline hero,
that's ultimately just a fancy schmancy
way of saying:
zero is the actual amount of tangible
appreciation they are prepared to pay you.
Even as they cry crocodile tears, wailing
that the almighty economy just won't
make it if we don't just shut up, keep risking our lives
and take it. All of us
who are overworked, who are unemployed,
who are underpaid, who are migrants
caring for our elders and maintaining
our food sources, who are prisoners
fighting fires without proper recompense
or resources,
who are our young people not getting
that job that they're right for because
they have the wrong kind of name on
their resume,
the BIPOC workers the LGBTQ2SIA workers, 
the disabled workers, the sex workers, the
all of the above workers
so amazing at what they do but they
can't continue
or stay because health supports and
accommodations or lack thereof  - because
generational wealth is something
many have only heard of -  because artists
appreciate your kind compliments
oh but praise don't pay our fucking rent.
There are many ways to labour, and the
sooner we all see that billionaires are
parasites - and not the sort our planet
needs - the quicker that we clue in that the
ones who sow the seed and the ones who
shovel compost and the ones who stitch
and bead are infinitely more crucial
than the bureaucrats and CEOs. We don't
need hedge funds.
We need community gardens. We don't want
to see
gentrified cannabis boutiques. We want to
see the Black and Indigenous people
incarcerated for selling weed to support
their families get
pardons. The sooner that we all arrive at
that place of clarity, the sooner we can
ditch this capitalist, white
patriarchal hierarchy and make space for
youth
and elders. Embrace of nature and
matriarchy,
i know this all to be the truth and to
speak of its existence, which is
impending,
is my job, is my calling, is a duty.
I will not shirk, but I cannot - 
we cannot do it alone, so let's get
together. Let's get to work.
Thank you.
