Skip to main content
Man hours
by Adaora Raji

Tic tic tic
your clock is moving
because it is my perennially occurring lot
I must move with your clock

haul bags of cement to and fro the site
what else is my back made for?
Cement. Sand. Gravel
Mix.mix.mix
Mould.carry.plaster

my feet is aching
my back is breaking
my head is throbbing
but I must finish this
because a labourer deserves his wages

Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
prop1
Books / 3 December 2024
3 December 2024
MICHAL BONCZA recommends a compact volume that charts the art of propagating ideas across the 20th century
Cairokee
Gig review / 5 May 2024
5 May 2024
MICHAL BONCZA reviews Cairokee gig at the London Barbican
triple
Culture / 29 April 2024
29 April 2024
women poster 1
Opinion / 15 March 2024
15 March 2024
MICHAL BONCZA rounds up a series of images designed to inspire women
Similar stories
anth
Poetry Review / 12 March 2025
12 March 2025
RUTH AYLETT recommends two anthologies: one that bears witness to refugee and immigrant experiences, and the other to our political relationship to water
21st Century Poetry / 26 February 2025
26 February 2025
by Ross Wilson
21st Century Poetry / 6 November 2024
6 November 2024
by Frankie Quinn
cartoon
21st Century Poetry / 3 July 2024
3 July 2024
by Dave Medd