Photo: Alexandru Tugui

11. 24. 2021

Christmas Time and a Half


Dan Darrah


In the freight elevator killing time
we sit talking     All day, last-minute shoppers
have trickled in
finding their way without us

& so we’ve become
a clandestine circle of renters, debtors
speaking about today’s time and a half
How briefly it’s ours

In serious voices the students
try to offer clarity for this moment
“There could be bread,
roses”     But we lack patience

to really talk to each other
& so we believe nothing
It falls apart       The conversation
turns to certain drugs

& books from
high school
Closing comes early
We rush out

Dan Darrah is a writer of nonfiction and poetry from Toronto. He writes about work, culture, money, and debt for Jacobin, Canadian Dimension, Briarpatch Magazine, and more.

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