... read and listen to what people think about the work they do.
Shabby Shite (reading 1)
How abstract this form of quaint expressionism.
Strange, this workstation viewed through a prism.
How it radically distorts your simple working way.
Now that rich hues and colours replace the grey.
How surreal a plain desk now in a jazzed up form.
A non-standard deviation, now far from the norm.
Jarringly awkward, now seen with conceptual eyes.
The mundane now glitzy, covered in shimmering lies.
Look again, harder, don’t see it as they want you too.
Look through different eyes, don’t just see the new.
If carried away the spirit of chintz is what you see.
Look again, with a squint, it’s still just a desk to me.
It’s a thing of wonder, new utilitarian symbolism.
It’s a thing of beauty, art mixed with photorealism.
No, it is not bespoke or unique, it is just not right.
No, it is not beautiful or chic, it is just shabby shite.
Loot
2016
Makes me think that ...
What you get is not always what you see. Guises and facades can work their magic and disguise substance. Some might take Loot’s words as encouragement for us to look closely at the reality and value of symbolism and to seek the essence: in work, of the jobs we have and what they mean. Others may feel alarm at doing that in case it turns out to be Shabby Shite
Narrator:
Lorraine Ansell
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This poem is narrated by Lorraine Ansell a British female voice over artist who is graciously supporting WorkInWords.
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