Standing in the Unemployment Line
by Daniel MacFadyen
I was standing in the queue
of potential pensioners and unemployed
ten deep
each waiting their turn
at bureaucratic frustration.
The bearded man in front of me
to say he was middle-aged
would have been very kind
well he suddenly stepped out of line
doing the most curious thing;
He reached for the light
ten feet above
with all his effort and might
and I was sure he’d jump
but he didn’t quite.
But I know he’d forgot
where he was
forgot who he was
supposed to be
remembered who he used to be
so long ago.
Born and raised in Southern Ontario, Canada, Daniel obtained a degree in, and worked in, Environmental Biology. He did not take up writing until he was almost forty. Since then he has had poetry and flash fiction published in numerous journals and anthologies in Canada and the USA. In 2014 he was editor and publisher for an international anthology, 'In Transit: Poetry of People on the move" (Border Town Press).