Last Days as a Federal Worker

Jean Janicke

Watch your back whispered across a wide desk        

Watch your back whispered across a wide desk

Warning of ambush on a second-floor outpost

Warning of ambush on a second-floor outpost

Desk outpost whispered back of a second warning:

ambush across a wide floor on your watch.

BLANK

Dawn rose as a red pencil slashing the horizon

Dawn rose as a red pencil slashing the horizon

Loops drawn to lasso squares on old charts.

Loops drawn to lasso squares on old charts

Rose loops a red lasso, slashing the drawn dawn

to pencil charts as old horizon squares

BLANK

Five tear-bullets leaked down cheeks at the check out line

Five tear-bullets leaked down cheeks at the check out line

Pack up plaques for programs that no longer exist

Pack up plaques for programs that no longer exist

Exist longer? Tear down the plaques! Five programs

leaked out. in. Cheeks pack bullets. No line-up for that check 

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At the program slashing, five whispered

of a Red Square outpost.  Plaques rose as warning

to watch out, check down desk charts that exist.

Ambush leaked back no second bullets. Pack a pencil

for your longer lasso lines. The horizon loops wide,

drawn across the old floor’s cheeks. Dawn tears up.