they worked in hopeless jobs
counted days like in prison
kept themselves going
by playing the lottery
twice a week
they made their well-calculated crosses,
waited and lived
underneath their dreams
of another life
born from a constellation
of least favorite numbers
good question – about which kind of jobs is this? i guess about those who are perceived as being stuck in, where you count down to the weekend from monday on. thinking of it, in some ways, the hope for another life might be similar both in the stupid jobs, and the really bad jobs. (and interesting that there are schedules for all material things, but for emotions like hope and fear, there isn’t).
and i meant to add the story of this flash: i took the theme “least favorite” with me when i had to go to a place that actually ranges among my least favorite places: the dentist. i thought that being there might bring an idea for a story, maybe a first draft – and arrived at this poem.
Is this about the stupid jobs we have all done at one time … or about the worst, which most of us will never have to suffer?
The Lottery: Keeping Hope a Lie Since 1984.
Nicely done. I think anyone who’s ever worked a dead-end job can appreciate this.
good question – about which kind of jobs is this? i guess about those who are perceived as being stuck in, where you count down to the weekend from monday on. thinking of it, in some ways, the hope for another life might be similar both in the stupid jobs, and the really bad jobs. (and interesting that there are schedules for all material things, but for emotions like hope and fear, there isn’t).
(and of course this should read “scales” instead of “schedules”.)
You’ve nailed it here, Dorothee; so many of us can relate to this feeling of the netherworld between hope and reality. Nice!
Thinking yourself a slave stuck in a hated job always makes life seem darker. Nicely done.
Thank you Dorothee for sharing this… someone doesn’t like their job, glad we all can write about it HA
and i meant to add the story of this flash: i took the theme “least favorite” with me when i had to go to a place that actually ranges among my least favorite places: the dentist. i thought that being there might bring an idea for a story, maybe a first draft – and arrived at this poem.
I like the thread of a belief in fate that runs through this poem – it is consistent and sharpens the picture painted! Well done!
nice, how hope and fate combine almost unwillingly
The desperate person’s pension. Evocative stuff, Dorothee. Peace…
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