Contract Expired Poem by Denys E. W. Jones

Contract run out? Find a new job!
Not so easy, though.
Chill the economic winds
That this winter blow.

Credit’s hard to come by,
Order-books half-empty.
Who will offer work to me,
Me that’s aged twice twenty?

I shall send off applications,
CVs, knock on doors -
Quite prepared to gather fruit,
Sweep streets or mop floors.

State or private sector,
Maybe go freelance,
But with cut-throat competition,
Will I stand a chance?

Governments have bailed out banks,
And, perhaps, car-makers.
Where’s the helping hand for me,
Not-so-young jobseeker?

Yesterday I had a wage,
Now only outgoings.
Contract’s run out, times are lean,
And a sharp wind’s blowing…

5/1/09