Friday, March 30, 2012

Quittin' Time

Image courtesy of Cowans Auctions, WPA Era Street Scene, by Carl Nyquist, (1888-1959)

Quittin’ Time

We wait along the trolley track:
To work, to home…one way, then back.
We work all day to earn our dime...
right now, you see, it’s quittin’ time.

Each secretary, each shop clerk
all through the week, go off to work.
Sometimes it seems an uphill climb.
Right now, for us, it’s quittin’ time.

The New Deal, says the president,
improves lives of each resident,
so all must do their part, but I’m,
right now, quite glad it’s quittin’ time.

We wait along the trolley track:
right now, you see, it’s quittin’ time.

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Notes:  The form is Kyrielle Sonnet.  The poem was inspired by Sepia Saturday's prompt of 'work.'  The first thing which came to mind, based on their photograph, was the 1930s Depression and the New Deal.  With that in mind, I looked up posters and artwork from the WPA, an example of which is above.  

8 comments:

  1. There has been many a job I have had in my lifetime when I had been glad when it was quittin' time. But joy was those rare jobs when you could lose track of time and where the line between work and pleasure disappeared.

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  2. I always look forward to your Sepia Saturday poems. It's a great way to round out the posts of photos.

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  3. A sonnet! Glad to see a sonnet. I was looking at a photo the other day of shipyard workers waiting for the bus to go home at quittin' time. They filled the sidewalks -- probably many of the workers had to wait quite a while to get a spot on the bus. They would certainly relate to this poem.

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  4. I love your poem. So perfect for the working theme. What's better than working than watching the clock and counting the minutes till it's time to go home.
    Nancy

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  5. You are so talented! I'm impressed with your poems every week. Like the WPA poster also.

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  6. Yet another wonderfully apt poem. Is that F W Woolworths in the picture do you think?

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  7. A poem about my favorite time of day, aside from sunrise, of course!! Much enjoyed this. Thanx 4 sharing!!
    :)~
    HUGZ

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