Monday, January 27, 2025

The Gulp of America

 The podcast Rumble Strip has put out a call for audio clips that reflect the "sound of now."  The call inspired this poem about what's on my mind after last week's blackout at the National Institutes of Health.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) - Turning Discovery into Health

 

The Gulp of America


thermostat set at lukewarm 65

raise it two degrees in case of showers

usually remember to reset it

furnace’s roar a grind against his mind


try to soften the door’s click as it shuts

maybe today he’ll get three hours sleep

walk to work is thirty-minute trudging

icy sidewalks broken by boot imprints


supervisor appreciates efforts

wishes paycheck could be commensurate

grant given by agency bankrupted

funding shortfalls are an unforeseen shame

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