Out of office auto-response
desks morph into surplus femurs
stalking unlit rooms chairs
are pelvises minus a sense of swing
walls creep further apart each day
carpet oceans lap workstations
nobody needs to raise a voice now
on the executive floor a plaque
prone as an exhausted dog this was
the best place to work, years ago
the manager’s books have broken spines
someone had given her how to live off-grid
unplugged, she had no call for it
inspirational quotes wait to paraglide
from cupboards as their tack-balls dry
be the change you want to see below,
a team picture, glammed-up for an award
smiles fizz everywhere can you remember
who laughed most that night?
reconfiguration, restructuring pulled
apart, parts bolted back together
so many bones no longer needed
Julian Dobson lives in Sheffield. His poems have been published in journals including Magma and Under the Radar, and on a bus in Guernsey.