deepundergroundpoetry.com
CHANGING OF THE GUARD
They sit in the tunnel below,
mostly women awaiting their shift.
Animatedly greeting one another.
Chatter in Spanish the predominant sound.
¿Cómo fue tu fin de semana?
¿Cómo está tu familia?
¡Oye que Estoy cansada!
Acabo de salir de mi otro trabajo.
Promptly at 6:00 PM
They, en masse, stand,
Retrieve their tools of trade.
begin their journey to the offices above.
Two worlds pass each other on the escalator.
Ironically upper class in descent and lower ascending.
Pretending the other is not there.
Men and women clad in designer suits and dresses
The money-makers,
Going down to the garage, briefcases in hand.
Catatonic, mesmerized
Looking at their smartphones.
Some off to the gym to exercise.
Others to relieve their nannies at home.
While on the way up…
Madres, abuelas, hijas, hermanas
Carting vacuum cleaners,
Dusters, brooms…
All the accoutrement necessary
To make the day shift’s lives
Cleaner, healthier, more comfortable.
About to get their exercise the hard way.
Only to pick up after their own families
After their “Work” is done.
mostly women awaiting their shift.
Animatedly greeting one another.
Chatter in Spanish the predominant sound.
¿Cómo fue tu fin de semana?
¿Cómo está tu familia?
¡Oye que Estoy cansada!
Acabo de salir de mi otro trabajo.
Promptly at 6:00 PM
They, en masse, stand,
Retrieve their tools of trade.
begin their journey to the offices above.
Two worlds pass each other on the escalator.
Ironically upper class in descent and lower ascending.
Pretending the other is not there.
Men and women clad in designer suits and dresses
The money-makers,
Going down to the garage, briefcases in hand.
Catatonic, mesmerized
Looking at their smartphones.
Some off to the gym to exercise.
Others to relieve their nannies at home.
While on the way up…
Madres, abuelas, hijas, hermanas
Carting vacuum cleaners,
Dusters, brooms…
All the accoutrement necessary
To make the day shift’s lives
Cleaner, healthier, more comfortable.
About to get their exercise the hard way.
Only to pick up after their own families
After their “Work” is done.
Published 15th Apr 2019
Author's Note
NaPo/GloPoWriMo poem #15. This born out an observation one day as I was getting off work.
All writing remains the property of the author. Don't use it for any purpose without their permission.
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15th Apr 2019 8:00pm
I found this astutely observed with an underlying element of 'sting' associated with the structural injustice of the GIG economy - but not overplaying it. Keen choice of images too. Nice. And perfect title.
15th Apr 2019 10:58pm
Thank you, Josh! I tried to stick with my interpretation of what I observed and to not make any overt judgements of the players. Leave the reader to glean what they want from the piece
16th Apr 2019 00:22am
Love this observation. So many people don't even notice the other lives going on around them....
