The below poem is written by Hannah Levene, commissioned for Living Wage Week by the National Centre for Writing.
Basket of Goods
by Hannah Levene
there are some jobs
you lose / there are some jobs
you stick at or get or get
stuck to:
1. hours worked valued less than
basket of goods
made up for by
the amount of stationery (stick, stuck)
i have stolen from the stationery cupboard.
i am using fistfuls of mechanical pencils
to represent the deficit
between the minimum
and the living
wage. 2. at tesco i offer to trade
sellotape for
the remainder of my
basket of goods. (no dice) "basket of goods"
doesn't that sound nice? not basic
but
sort of
baked or like a dog bed or a baby's crib or something
full of fruit? employers ask why: 3. the staff
(apple) turn over.
the staff get
stuck but
they don't
stay.
[interview with barista whilst they steam milk:]
A: i have tried to feel grateful for
minimum wage
but i have only ever felt
hungry.
A: i wish i could reconcile how
stuck
i feel (8 coffee shops in 10 years)
with how many jobs i've left. i wish i could reconcile how
stuck
i feel with
how little you expect me to
stay.
4. the Living Wage
takes fistfuls of fresh air on its lunch break.
it puts on its coat and hat and turns the light off leaving the office last
it welcomes living
into what has
only ever felt like
work.
You can download and read the poem here, or listen to the audio version here.