Army Factory or Pit

by kJ Walker

Friday 5th August 2022 12:21 pm

Army, Factory or Pit (Villanelle)

A corrupt careers master, who thought he was it

To a lad, just fourteen and naïve

Said your options are, Army, Factory or Pit

A master of nothing, who knew Jack Shit

The innocent will always believe

A corrupt careers master, who thought he was it

High on praise, acclaim and plaudit

In a position of trust to aggrieve

Said your options are, Army, Factory or Pit

The man was a big bloody hypocrite

How many kids did he deceive?

A corrupt careers master, who thought he was it

You can’t stop on at school, your dad claims benefit

The idea’s too much to conceive

Said your options are, Army, Factory or Pit

We don’t educate scum, your face doesn’t fit

Now pick up your papers and leave

A corrupt careers master who thought he was it

Said your options are, Army, Factory or Pit

Comments

kJ Walker

Mon 22nd Aug 2022 06:48

Thank you John and John.
I bet you're glad you didn't take the coach building job.

I think that I've done this one at Well Spoken before, but didn't read it too well as I didn't put the stresses in the right place.
I may try again.

John Coopey

Sun 21st Aug 2022 13:39

Not your usual barrow at all, Kevin. Will you do it at Well Spoken? A villanelle always goes down well.

John Botterill

Fri 12th Aug 2022 00:06

This poem reminds me of a meeting I had where I was advised to go to work at a coach building firm. That looked too much like hard work. Really like your poem, KJ.

kJ Walker

Sat 6th Aug 2022 07:29

Thank you Keith, Ghazala, and Stephen.
This one is actually a re-post.
I was the fourteen year old boy.
And yes our careers master was corrupt.
Not long after I left school he was in court for fraud. Ironically he escaped a prison sentence because of all the good work he'd done helping children with their careers.
To this day I still blame him for the bad decisions I was forced into back then.

Stephen Gospage

Fri 5th Aug 2022 21:14

Good stuff, KJ. These are not easy to write, at least not for me.

Ghazala lari

Fri 5th Aug 2022 13:08

We are creating robots in educational institutions to serve the purpose of government Or big business tycoons. Brain washed, without ambitions and dreams....a life created to serve big bullies.

Well written.

keith jeffries

Fri 5th Aug 2022 12:45

Kevin,
Very well written but behind this lies a great deal more than is said. Turning the clock back it was often not one's intellect which determined one's place in life and subsequent education, but whether one's family could afford further or higher education. Today having to pay university fees must deter and discourage many good minds from advancing themselves. Money as always speaks. I did not get the Pit or Factory as I got the Army instead.
Thank you for this
Keith

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Army Factory or Pit

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