Why should I care?
I’m only one among many lost
in the dross of mediocrity and favour.

Yes, I thought I was someone,
I thought I could contribute,
thought I might have a place.

But all this is wiped on a whim,
a cursory glance of a statistic,
a quick click of a mouse.

Without recourse to contact
the arrogant are justified
in the sharpest of suits.

How the unworthy rule
and their cohorts squirm
with cowardly gesture, though

a split second decision
can take an age to resolve – and
believe me – it’s never forgotten

copyright Francis Barker 2019