Philippa Collingwood
Not the True Cost
Jeremy filled the wing chair,
opened the double doors of his newspaper
shutting the other members out.
News about Swan Hunter made him frown
but he enjoyed skimming down
the Appointments Section, confident
with his champagne pay-off and company pension.
Coffee materialised: silver jug on silver tray,
bone china, white gloves. A pleasure Sir.
Two and a half cups for fifty pence.
Subsidised of course.
Three streets back by the flyover
Geoff shouldered into warmth, smoke.
A’reet man? Just aboot.
The broken orange plastic creaked.
Last night’s curled up Chronicle (DO NOT REMOVE)
was already folded at Sits.Vac. Nothing
beginning with W. Nothing without retraining.
He thought of Cath, the way her face was changing.
He queued slowly, the beaker winced
in his hand, the spoon grated. 20p.
Subsidised of course.
Page(s) 48
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