Origami People

Take a beautiful piece of paper with soft  
wavy edges, created as an original
it its own style of perfection
 
and guillotine it
into a perfect square, dispensing
with the non-linear off-cuts
 
take the square, neatly prepared
to fit the system of tick-boxes and
iron it flat with vaccinations
 
Great! Now it’s ready to be folded by education.
Crease it across both diagonals and  
open it out again, crease it again
 
in half, twice, open out, and then a third time
with all four corners to the middle and back.
This psycho-process completes pre-school
 
Choose from one of the ten shapes in the  
Instruction Book of Compliance.
Now for the clever folding sequence …
 
keep folding, back-folding, tucking
plus on occasion creasing extra-hard with
the edge of a sharp knife. Examine if it looks like
 
the picture in the book. Yes? Well done. Another  
left-brained follow-orders paper-person done. Please  
crap on graduation day. Education is now complete.
 
String it up for decoration or display prominently
to the envy of friends and neighbours.
Take bets on how long it will last.
 
If it’s one of those smart-arses who starts to unravel  
in search of their original state, re-crease them with a mallet
but not too much - it spoils the outer appearance
 
Eventually, when they begin to look worn out
don’t be sentimental. Just throw them in the bin
grab another original piece of paper, get out your guillotine
 
and repeat the process.