"workmates" poems
Sara L Russell 20/1/15 11:32
Windows of opportunity
ways of touching base
teamwork with alacrity
cutting to the chase
jingoist linguistics
speaking business tongues
ladders of loquaciousness
rushing up the rungs
See all the little workmates
running for the bus
trying not to be late
not to cause a fuss
every day frenetic
a speeding metronome
a life too energetic
so glad I work from home.
Jan 21, 2015
Jan 21, 2015 at 9:13 AM UTC
My friends asked me
Who is that guy?
Is he your boyfriend?
You always go out with him?
And all I can say is.
We are just friends.
Obviously it seem like a lie
But it's the sad truth
There was nothing more between us.
My workmates asked me
Do you have a boyfriend?
Who is that guy in your phone?
He's your boyfriend right?
And it pains me to say
He's just a friend
Every single time
With tears in my eyes
With the stinging pain feeling to say it out
We were just friends
Or used to be at least.
Jul 2, 2019
Jul 2, 2019 at 3:06 AM UTC
Forgive me if I seemed brusque at the airport,
these churches to farewell
are not where I choose to worship
and saying goodbye is like sheathing a sword,
the danger is not over until it’s out of sight.
You’re an introspective man, covert with your passion,
but I suspect you were as glad to see us
as we were to see you.
It’s been said that you are a perfect foil
to my extroversion,
we are a sort of Laurel and Hardy of the emotional spectrum.
One of the perils of transience
is the absence of solid friendship
so that we sometimes become
like wings without a body.
Having a friend arrive on our doorstep
is to find something we did not realise
we had lost.
A holidaymaker is as bright in the workaday world
as a mint coin on sunlit concrete
so that our biggest concern
was to polish your days
to the consistency of your previous excitement.
We are rusty entertainers at best.
One of life’s more pleasant surprises
is that we never know how or where
we will forge a friendship.
Friendships forged in the workplace
can be the most enduring
because there is no mandate to like our workmates.
For a few, too short days
you brought back for me all that was good
about my life in Auckland
and I can ask a friend for no greater gift
than to reflect a little sunlight.
Feb 25, 2015
Feb 25, 2015 at 8:55 PM UTC
Goodwill to all
Men
Women
Children
Family
Neighbours
Those kids on the corner
Fellow commuters
That bloke
who takes my parking space
Workmates
My boss
Competing shoppers
Nodding acquaintances
The woman down the road
with the 6 dogs
Complete strangers I see each day
The family who just moved in
over the way
Refugees
wherever they are
whoever they are
whatever their origin
- to all human kind
Heaven-sent goodwill
and God's grace
to you all
by my hand
and by my voice
Raised in greeting
Raised in support
Raised in defence
All year round
and never tiring
- Merry Christmas.
Nov 28, 2017
Nov 28, 2017 at 4:14 AM UTC
One night after work
A bunch of the guys in the call center
Invited me out for drinks/ice cream/book group
Or something
And though I was sure it was a set up
To get back at me
For having squishy shoes and a dry wit
I went along
First we went to a tiger-kitten fight
I advised betting on the tiger
But they bet on the hundred kittens
ranged against the representative of Siberia
But the kittens lazed where they were
And the tiger fell asleep
No fight
We all got our money back
I said I bet we can win at something
And so we went to a horse race
Lined up was a cayuse, an appaloosa, a Claybank Dun, a Tennessee walking horse, even a Przewalski's horse (aka a Dzungarian)
But the equine competitors just stood in their places
And we were told:
"The race isn't to see which one is fastest. It's to see which one is most long-lived."
A crowd stood around
Waiting to see which one would drop first
But we got tired
And went to a football game
Between the El Paso Patrones
And the Gun Barrel City Daggers
Somehow the ball got lost somewhere
Disappeared into the ground
At least some went digging for it
Or floated up in the sky
Some went jumping for it
But a man who wore a size 15 volunteered his left shoe as replacement
And the game resumed
The El Paso Patrones winning by one-fourth of a point
I then bid my workmates good-bye
Surprised I hadn't been set up for some sort of humiliation
And went sauntering somewhere
Until I found size 15 footprints of a man hopping on one foot in the mud
I idly followed them until I came to
the ravine that separates
misers who hoard silver
from seekers who sift through Coke bottles
And figured that if he could jump across
Hopping on one shod foot
I could do the same
Hoping with two
Mar 19, 2015
Mar 19, 2015 at 10:13 PM UTC
It's hard to maintain composure
when you call me like that.
All curled up naked
under the covers,
whispering hot things
in my ears,
breathing heavy,
talking rather lewd,
telling me the saucy-things
you want to do to me
& the sensual-things
you want done to you.
All my blood rushed to my head
& my voice got real low.
My workmates
were circling around
me trying to listen,
figure out who my
secret caller was.
I knew inside my drawers,
I was glistening,
could feel a warm flood coming.
The sexy-sounds you made
made it so hard
you sweet girl,
knocking me off my feet,
while standing
up straight
at the job site
dripping.
Feb 1, 2014
Feb 1, 2014 at 5:17 PM UTC
The first time I saw you, was the birth of the goosebumps my skin raises today
I have never known a moment like when it hit me, I would take lessons to speak your heart language.
This world is not meant for the weak, but I’m meant for the times my knees lose strength around you.
When I call you at night, you tell me about work, about your workmates.
I have never been to your workplace but I picture how you sit, where you sit,
and sometimes, the shoe you’re wearing.
I have been struggling to know exactly how you feel about me.
I want to know you inside out,
know where you hang your clothes so I can see the labels you hide on you.
I know you go to church on Saturdays
but are you a front row or back row kinda girl?
When no one is watching,
do you secretly dance in the kitchen?
And have you ever been with a boy so shy
the only way he could corner a queen is if he had a chess board in front of him
See, for many years this ship has sailed
This is the first time in a long time I’m stuck at the dock-
This captain, this ship,
this sea beneath me betrayed by your waves
I’m not moving and it only makes sense;
I have fallen for someone who lifts me.
We cropped a photo to be together and it still feels right
You asked me the difference between dating and being in a relationship
so before you ask me about love
I will tell you what my grandmother would say;
to love, is to have the courage to be kind,
there is no fairytale in a real world,
no prince charming in ponds, just frogs whose skin will make you sick to the stomach.
But if you ask me to describe you,
then I will tell you…
I think you are intimidatingly strange
and crazily stunning
any girl who asks for my heart will not appreciate that you signed your name on it
or that you found the edge of my soul, folded it into pages and filled it with your handwriting.
I have known fire to burn and I’ve known you to be a flame because it is hot in here
and if my heart is not a clown for you then how do you explain the circus in here?
But tell me about broken parts.
Tell me who to blame if you don’t feel exactly how I feel about you.
Tell me how many mechanics have worked on hearts that stopped when you said no to
and do they work anymore?
Tell me why it’s taking you too long to learn how to lay your head on my chest
or don’t you like how my heart misses beats for you
Tell me how to know I’m the one when you look at me because I feel light in my head I can let you carry me with your stare.
Tell me to wait,
and I will wait for you
I’m not saying there’s no one like you
I’m telling you today,
I will fall for you just as hard,
10 years from now.
Feb 3, 2016
Feb 3, 2016 at 4:00 AM UTC
His fixed black eyes,
turned, like a mother's to her sorrows
eight metres down in a hole
dug for concrete.
His workmates call hoarsely from the rim
but only see and hear
his nothingness
- “he was just here a second ago"
His neck is a broken spirit,
fingernails are torn away
he'd flayed against the earth
falling indefinitely for one and half seconds.
The young concreter,
carefuly finishing his glide work
at the edge of the slab
had stepped back to admire
the reflected perfection of the sky.
His mother receives the news before the slab
is no longer a mirror,
she pictures him falling and
thinks of the last time he called,
- “I only spoke to him yesterday"
MChallis © 2005/2014
Oct 10, 2014
Oct 10, 2014 at 9:44 PM UTC
Someday, you’ll meet the genuine love of your life.
And unlike your previous lovers, this one is
completely different because he’ll make you realize
that love was worth more than the risk of losing.
He will complete you and make you realized that
he’s that missing link you’re eagerly looking for all
your life. He will treasure your existence and give
you reasons to wake up every morning. He will
take care of you the best way he can. He won’t
promise you that he’s not going to hurt you,
because chances are he will, but he’s willing to
admit his fault and make up for it. He’ll not just
say sorry, he’ll prove to you that he’s sincere and
that he’ll never do it again. He’ll not just give you
butterflies, he’ll make you breathless because he’ll
hug you so tight. No matter how many times you
give him reasons to walk away, he’ll stand his
ground and give you reasons why he has to stay.
He’ll make you realize why your past relationships
didn’t work out because you’re made for him. And
he’ll hold your hand no matter how unfit it may be.
He’ll give you a lot of different emotions, he can
make you cry and he can make you laugh. And
though he knows that he has the power to do
these things, he’ll not try to play with your
emotions. His job is to make you smile, always
and make sure that your smile will never fades
away. He will remain true to you no matter how
many years may pass. He will give you all of him.
He will love you — your edges, your curves, your
imperfections, your flaws, all of you.
Someday, you’ll be happy. You’ll be living your
dream life and someone will love you the way you
are deserve to be loved. Someday, you’ll wake up
at 3 AM because your partner is talking on his
sleep and when you tell him about it when he
wakes up, you’ll laugh the way his face expression
says “No I don’t.” You’ll be inspired everyday. And
even if sometimes you slept on the couch the other
night because something is going on between you
two, you’ll realize that it’s a part and you’ll still
cook him his breakfast and bring it to his bed.
Even if he forget about your anniversary, you’ll still
forgive him because the next day, he’ll surprise you
with a romantic candlelight dinner so he can make
it up to you. You’ll be furious once you caught him
with someone else and you’ll think that they are
having an affair, but you’ll be confident that she’s
not gonna do that because his workmates assure
you that your partner is just doing his job. There
are days when he’ll go home late and you’ll
suspect that he’s having some kind of monkey
business, yet you’ll drive that thoughts away
because you know that she’s not like that and he’ll
never lie to you. Someday, you’ll just smile as your
partner go the distance to surprise you and make
you feel that you’re his eternal love and how lucky
he is to have you
Someone who isn't perfect, But who would be
perfect only for You !
Feb 6, 2015
Feb 6, 2015 at 9:47 AM UTC
They’re your neighbours, workmates,
family and best friends.
They hide and they lie,
they use and abuse,
they’re not bad people,
they’re just sick, but they seek no pity.
It’s like a pain that needs to be numbed,
killed,
a hole in the heart,
a void of mammoth proportions.
We’re the same species,
and on the outside we all seem so similar,
but really,
we’re so individually different that we’re like snowflakes;
an imprint of altered states.
This is what makes connection so powerful,
we come together as two and leave as one.
Dec 26, 2016
Dec 26, 2016 at 3:43 AM UTC
Why do the best poets have to come from the street ?
Where there is no peace
Is it because its in the desert we find the sweetest Fruits ?
Or is it in the most dry land that God bestows beauty ?
We have seen it all to have the guts to say this . .
We have planted the hottest kiss on the lips of our motherland .
Oh . . What a beautifull place !
To have been born in.
But what about these workmates who have come from so far.
Where is this Mafeland(nowhere land)?
I need to find it after this month end.
Hope by then i'll have sent this love letter am about to send.
Jun 20, 2018
Jun 20, 2018 at 2:25 AM UTC
Life is ...©
Life is ...
... A journey
... A process
... Time travel
Life is ...
... Seconds, minutes, hours
... Days, weeks, months
... Years, decades, a century
Life is ...
... Spring, summer, fall, winter
... Flowers, plants, trees
... Nature, stars, the universe
Life is...
... Seeing, hearing, touching
... Tasting, smelling, speaking
... Doing, participating, accomplishing
Life is...
... Hope, inspiration, aspiration
... Laughter, joy, jubilation
... Disappointment, tears, sadness
Life is...
... Family, friends, neighbors
... Friendships, relationships, marriage
... Classmates, teammates, workmates
Life is...
... Working, playing, human development
... Dreams, goals, plans
... Self-awareness, reflection, refinement
Life is... Birth, living, death
Life is... Remembering we are human beings, not human doings.
Every once in a while we need to stop and smell the roses,
hear what is really being said, taste the essences of life,
touch someone’s heart and see life for what it truly is,
“a journey with rest areas”
Andreas Simic©
Oct 28, 2017
Oct 28, 2017 at 4:14 AM UTC