Natural Selection

 

Outbound

 

I look at them

they look at me

through glassy eyes

that never see

we’ve shared this carriage

many years

never sharing

hopes or fears

I swiftly pass

the guarded gate

and check my watch

in case I’m late

despite producing

dog-eared ticket

the blank faced guardsman

doesn’t click it

I side step gran’s

with shopping bags

and hands that plead

from piles of rags

fat businessmen

in rain drenched suits

and pretty girls

in thigh length boots

rehearsing each

spontaneous line

the interview

begins at nine

my suit is black

and very smart

shop windows whisper

“just the part”

 

Return

 

I look at them

they look at me

through x-ray eyes

I know they see

my bitter

onion of cares

they relish

peeling back the layers

a question asked

a swift reply

a sadness seeing

grown men cry

a pungent odour

seeps and lingers

on my

disappointed fingers

the journey home

seems twice as long

I bump and grind

the milling throng

the guardsman smiles

a knowing smile

hands withdraw

into the rag pile

fat businessmen

with pretty girls

shiny foreheads

golden curls

my suit is damp

with dismal rain

it’s job rejection

time again