Bradford Middleton, 12/16/2019

Current Occupation:  Low-grade sales assistant for big supermarket company.
Former Occupation: Student, Music PR, writer, admin serf.
Contact Information: Bradford Middleton lives in Brighton on England's south coast.  When he isn't writing stories and poems he can often be found on the check-out at a local supermarket.  For more from him follow @BradfordMiddle5 on Twitter.

 

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STRANGE DAY AT WORK

 

Sunday afternoon and I walk through the door

Loathing myself and desperate for a caffeine shot

I get in downstairs and work is ready for me

But alas today I certainly ain’t ready for this

As I feel myself close to tears again as the sense

Of worthlessness is insurmountable as I regret

Every damn thing I did the day before.  That first

Beer around two and that shot of tequila around half

Three that signaled the end, the end of my mind

And the end of any hope of a calming day of rest.

From there it just got worse, rushing headlong into

The drink and then the smoke, walking round and

Round, then home at last.

 

Sunday afternoon and I get sent to the checkout

As they say I’m the best one.  I go on, desperate

To get this shift out of the way, but as the day wears

On my nerves calm and my mood brightens.  I eat

Some food and find myself nearly happy as at last

I find a way out of my gloom.  Now this is odd

As in all these years of working food retail never has

This happened before, turn up feeling horrible full of

Regret about what I could have done and then by the

End of my shift I leave smiling, turning down a visit

To the pub as I go on home and straight to bed.

 

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GET THIS WEEK OVER WITH

 

This damn last week has seen me

Killing it all the time.

Working is easy when you don’t really

Care or need it and

The rest of time has just been spent

Doing what it is i love to do

Drinking

Sleeping

Reading

Writing

It’s all i need but this morning i sit

Here completely exhausted.

 

Tomorrow i’m back at work and 4

More to follow after that is

Sure to leave me feeling even worse

But maybe i can take this time to

Just slog it out

Get it done and

Then lay in my darkened room

For another 4 day weekend

Beginning next Friday.

Maybe i’ll sit around reading Sartre

Contemplating the human condition

Then again maybe not.

 

But this week i’ll step away from the word

As it’ll just be a struggle to get through

And then next week i’ll pick up a book and

Then, maybe, it’ll be time to start work

On my next one.