by Samuel Strathman
To think, there are still sweat shops,
work camps,
groups of men who force girls
from their schools to be slaves –
Some people have to burn
recycling for a living,
then they get sick and wonder why
they feel so polluted by the selfishness
of others.
A bookie jumps a bad client,
because he rather that client
be stymied when it happens,
that’ll leave internal scars.
Yet what I’m worried about
is the fifty-two minutes left
in my twelve hour shift,
then I get to be free.
Wait, that fifty-two minutes
has already passed –
guess that means the relief staff
is running late.
Samuel Strathman (he/him) is a Jewish/Canadian poet and educator who was diagnosed with a non-verbal learning dis/ability at the age of seven. Some of his poems have appeared in Train: A Poetry Journal, Quadrant, and on Dusie, as well as others. He lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with his two cats, Archie and China. Follow Samuel on Instagram and Twitter @_strathman_.