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Writer's pictureMartin Pickard

A Call to Arms

Updated: Dec 31, 2024

Whiteboards all smeared with illegible scrawl,

Bureaucrats’ barcodes on each jaundiced wall

Décor is dismal, lights on the blink; no cups

in the cooler, nothing to drink.

Dolores on desk, with her script on repeat:

“Reception K2? That’s over the street.”

Winter re-enters with each shivering soul.

“Take a seat and a ticket; I’ll put you

on hold”. Her voice is robotic, her patience

sublime—She’s answered the same since 2009

The punters are silent their eyes to the floor

each clutching their papers - 1984

So roll up your sleeve, put a vein on display,

It’s not going to hurt, just a scratch as they say

The needle’s the point at the end of the line

You’ll get the results when the data is mined

Just trust in the system, you'll hear soon enough

Its time to move on when your number is up

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3 Comments


Liz Starbuck
Liz Starbuck
7 days ago

Love "winter re-enters with each shivering soul" Feels a tad dystopian.

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At least the needles are a lot smaller now thanthey were back in the day😅

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Liz Starbuck
Liz Starbuck
7 days ago
Replying to

And at least it was in his arm!

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