The Grinding Tide: A Poem on the Cost of Living
Treading the waves of inflation and the price of survival.
I am chasing the grind
and weathering
the
wind,
and getting dressed in cobwebs and stripes
and selling my clothes to a friend
just to stay naked,
just to get by in these times.
*
Fear of getting swallowed by the sink,
swimming through the waves of inflation,
excusing
prices
getting high.
*
Selling me clothes with holes:
sending them back,
holes are holes.
It is times like these
holes don’t close.
*
Dodging all the coughs,
all the sneezes,
thinking I am sly; I could pay the bills
when I am not ill.
*
But life don’t care
when your nose goes:
drying out,
growing damp,
and dripping now.
It keeps you in bed;
it keeps you stagnant.
*
Then the currency won’t flow,
the economy won’t grow.
*
So to avoid a drought,
you’ve got to buy that Lemsip,
but it’s too…
You will lose anyway.
Only a matter of time,
before the next dam
caves.
About the Creator
Caitlin Charlton
Noir Writer & Close Reader. Spotting the elements of Eloquence.
Survivor. Reclaiming my own territory.
Let us read each other and leave the page free. 🖋️🔥👠
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Comments (6)
Heartfelt and oh so relatable. Great job with this; we are all feeling the sting. Just like the so-called "war on drugs", capitalism has failed. It does the opposite of what its supporters claim it should be doing for people and the economy. 👏👏🤦💚
Oh, Caitlin.. this gave goosebumps because it was so real and so relatable.
This is that drought that none of us can avoid. It’s that tide that keeps rising higher and higher. It’s that drain that each one of us is eventually swallowed by. Such a strong social commentary that is being felt across the world. Great work as always, Caitlin!
Though I hate that we are all going through it, I love what you did with this poem ! There are a lot of impactful lines with clever wordplay! Well done, Caitlin
You've really captured that pressure of just trying to keep going. I think a lot of us are feeling this right now :-(
The personal and economic were well-woven in this poem. The imagery of holes and flow carries through naturally. It is both immediate and layered.