A poem about proletarian drudgery that I wrote in the 1990s when working with some solid, dignified, funny folk in the Creda factory, Stoke, in order to earn some money for my gap year in Valencia — one of the few poems of mine about which I'm not totally embarrassed today...
FACTORY DAYS
Taking items off jigs.
Putting items on jigs.
Eight minutes to smoke your cigs.
Taking items off jigs.
Putting items on jigs.
Learn to hate the white-collared pigs.
Taking items off jigs,
Taking items off jigs,
No slacking with the pace.
Putting items on jigs,
Putting items on jigs,
Start to hate the human race.
Quick cuppa, light snack —
Brief upper, then back...
Taking items off jigs,
Taking items off jigs,
Taking items off jigs,
Worn down by the grind.
Putting items on jigs,
Putting items on jigs,
Putting items on jigs,
Starting to lose my mind.
Clock off. Unwind...
...pushing on home through congestion.
Watch TV,
Wolf some grub,
Roll a GV,
Then down the pub,
Flushed with indigestion.
Booze, moan;
Booze, home.
Token sleep.
A break, broken —
BLEEP, BLEEP,
BLEEP, BLEEP.
Awake!
Through the murk to work.
Clock on. Task assigned.
Taking items off jigs,
Putting items on jigs,
Six minutes to smoke your cigs.
Taking items off jigs,
Putting items on jigs,
Gonna fix the white-collared pigs.
Taking jigs off items,
Putting jigs on items,
Losing all our colour.
Taking items on jigs,
Putting items off jigs,
So growing ever duller.
Taking off,
Putting on
(Invisible cages).
Putting off,
Taking on,
(Risible wages).
On... off... on... off —
Rumble across the shop floor
Of a surprise burst of discontent...
On... off... on... off —
Mumbles behind the top door
of a pay rise: at worst ·2 per cent...
(Same rota, larger quota.)
Loading galvanised component parts
On to the automated overhead belt;
They promised to implement health measures...
Removing galvanised component parts
From the automated overhead belt;
...So long as we augment their wealth and pleasures
Taking items off jigs,
Taking items off jigs,
No slacking with the pace.
Putting items on jigs,
Putting items on jigs,
Is this the human race?
Clocked off. Resigned.
Factory days,
Unsatisfactory days.
