Workplace Blues 2

As a new graduate, doing unpaid work, I built
footpaths; gave advice to people in debt;
made art with disabled children.
One day I overheard my father say
how disappointed he was I was
wasting my time this way.

Years later, I sit in an office, shuffling
papers for an organisation that's lost
its way. One day I'll escape but for now
I'm stuck; work my biggest
disappointment; my only
waste of time.


Last week I posted Workplace Blues 1

Work for Totally Optional Prompts

Read with Abandon

For Booking Through Thursday this week, we're asked to share our abandoned books. 'The books that you start but don’t finish say as much about you as the ones you actually read, sometimes because of the books themselves or because of the circumstances that prevent you from finishing'

My great unread book is Ulysees by James Joyce, I got to page 5 i think the first time I read it but i loved The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man so will try again with Ulysees and may even get to page 10 next time!

I also have to admit to not finishing Kafka's The Castle. I read it in German and though I felt it was a worthwhile read and I loved a lot about it, it is just so long and I just couldn't face spending any more time stuck in Kafka's imagination in German, which is such hard work to read....

I remember when I left Primary School I felt sad that I hadn't been able to finish the Intriductory book to Greek Mythology that I had been reading.

There are others too, but those are the ones I most remember just now. As I get older I'm more likely to give up on a book, I don't see the point of continuing to read a book when I'm not enjoying it or getting anything out of it. Having said that I finish most books I read.

Workplace Blues

I used to think that when I left this job
I would take with me a branded mug
for pride of place on the kitchen shelf
a pen for using at my writing desk
a t-shirt to wear to the beach sometimes
and a badge to have on my lapel

Now I sit at work and wait
for the day when I will
never need to look
at any of these things again

Olympics - International Goodwill and Local Abuse of Human Rights

The Olympic Games are usually praised as being a beacon of international goodwill. However is this actually achieved at the expense of local people's human rights? The link below leads to stories of gypsy familes being evicted to make way for developments in London for the 2012 Games:
http://society.guardian.co.uk/socialexclusion/comment/0,,2194782,00.html

There are many other similar stories from past Olympics across the world. I'm getting so tired of reading these while other people are praising the games that I'll put a longer article together and post it sometime in the next month or so.

Young Woman in Black

Her hair is dark
she paints her face
dresses in black velvet and lace
is a mystery to herself.

At weekends
she hands out poetry books
to skater boys
in the park.

‘Let me be your Muse’
she says.

haiku - simple pleasures

white tablecloth –
a single red rose
in a vase.


Simplicity for One Deep Breath

haiku for Burma

red
of monks' robes -
leaves fall.


Visit the Burma Campaign website

Pink for October

Alter Ego and Bolts of Silk have gone Pink for October!

Web sites are Going Pink during the month of October to bring attention to Breast Cancer Awareness Month, get people talking about breast cancer, and raise money for research.
But to be clear, raising money isn’t the primary purpose of this web event.
The hope is that you turn your site pink (in whatever way works for your site), go out to that World Wide Web thing (in fact you’re on it right now! :) ) and educate yourself about the multiple issues related to Breast Cancer, then take that newfound knowledge and tell someone else what you’ve learned.

For obvious reasons, Crafty Green Poet will remain green during October, but I'm experimenting with a delightful green and pink combination at the moment and will hopefully post something about the environmental factors in breast cancer.