The Paddock Review

Ragdoll

Her boss compares her
to Jim. “You and Jim have so much
potential, but Jim works harder.”
In the conference room, Jim
knocks over his coffee, spilling all
over her reports.
She believes
purposeful. Jim
gets promoted. Jim
says “You might get promoted…but I’m first of course.”
Jim starts giving her menial tasks.
“Fix this report for me, I just don’t have time.”
Like a wet rag
she drags herself across the floor
daily. She’s told “You must
write 15 articles by December for a raise.”
She heads back to her cubicle.
Her file folders are arranged in color order.
She removes them all, throwing them onto her desk, re-organizing them in reverse color order.
She notices Jim in the staff break room, laughing and drinking coffee.
She continues to observe him after everyone else leaves the room.
She watches as Jim takes 7 vanilla flavored coffee creamers and sticks them in his pants pocket.
He takes time to add hot water to the already old pot of coffee,
and as a finale,
spits in it, adds a sprinkle of pencil shavings and lint from his shirt
stirs the pot vigorously, before returning to his cubicle.
…..

This poem is from the book Code Domesticity by Dana Reeher (Finishing Line Press), and can be found at https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/code-domesticity-by-dana-reeher/

Code Domesticity includes poems that speak of the small moments in everyday life, both personal and professional, and how those moments and observations of those moments can be viewed in a surreal light, making the commonplace seem alien. The poems included in this collection connect the personal life with the professional or working life and how that world can be viewed differently from moment to moment.