ENTRANCE B

Why are they so nice to us
Those denizens of the DHSS?
Oops! – wrong image,
It’s now the Employment Service…more or less

Raymond sported a badge which identified him
As ‘a member of the clerical support team’
I wanted to ask him what position,
But he was already away
With his ‘back-to-work’ scheme

I had to have a plan you see
That got me ‘gainful’ again;
What occupations could I list?
How much, where, when?

Well, let me see now;
I was a brain surgeon till times got tough
Then I tried circus strongman
Till my back cried enough;
Later, it was alligator-taming
Till I lost my bottle
Now I fancy Formula One driving
At full throttle

Raymond scribbled; the audience had ended
‘No inclination – benefit suspended’

What has happened to the barricades;
The litter-strewn floors,
The ‘them-and-us’ confrontations,
The glass partitions, the bolted-down chairs?

Open-plan dole-queues and carpeted floors?
I think I will get myself a job
There’s no soul in this place anymore.