November
Interesting to see life through a cleaner's eyes
Monotonous tasks, always early to rise
The nuances of the hostel reveal themselves
The curious items left behind on the shelves
Treading with caution when entering each room
Lest we interrupt something that they are keen to resume
Out of that room and on to the next
Some of these smells have left me perplexed
You have to say it's quite the career path
Regardless of the inevitably horrific aftermath
The Apprentice becomes the leader of the United States
Donald Trump; a lesser version of the earliest primates
The environment will suffer and progress will be halted
As an optimist I have to say I'm positively revolted
Like waking up to discover several drunken tattoos
I'll never forget waking up to see this on the news
First day on the job and I'm completely lost
They won't speak to me slower at any cost
Elias my cleaning buddy shows me around
He takes a wasp sting to the face without making a sound
These are all fairly simple and menial tasks
The chemicals are intense but I won't ask for a mask
It's nice to switch the brain off and just clean some glass
A thankful nod from the guests as they walk past
I managed to secure a voluntary position
And thus conclude my accommodation mission
It's a vibrant hostel in the heart of Granada
With nightly music louder than the Spanish Armada
Lemon Rock is the name; it's almost brand new
Including toast for breakfast and a midday stew
To celebrate Matt and I charged around the city
Until the rugby ball we were booting didn't look so pretty
I wonder whether these poems make for good reading
Whether they induce a smile or internal bleeding
I wonder what ever happened to lemonade stalls
Kids on the corner heeding the nation's calls
I wonder what language will look like next century
Whether the written word will be replaced by the emoji
I wonder why teaching isn't the highest paid profession
The most powerful figures in intergenerational succession
A night at the pub to see history being made
The mighty All Blacks completely outplayed
Over 100 years and no loss until now
After so many close calls Ireland came through somehow
The Irish pub of course showed little sympathy
In fact they were positively giddy with glee
We went dancing until the wee hours of the morning
Kebab in hand, I walked home yawning
A stumbling Skype job interview
It couldn't have gone better upon review
It came to nothing but confidence was high
Short on money but Spanish on the rise
Then off to meet up with Matt and his mates
All English teachers, meaning several debates
Food here is free when you order a drink
Tapas they call it (and it's gone in a blink)
The world is grey, the laughter elsewhere
What am I trying to achieve over here
I need stillness and purpose and most of all home
I'm not chasing a dream I'm just looking to roam
I step away from myself - this is only fleeting
Travels without troughs is no doubt cheating
It's refreshing in a way; it makes the highs better
I make my way to the hostel and pull on my sweater
I went on the hunt for a hostel with space
For volunteers to help with maintaining the place
All job negotiations were held in Spanish
Thankfully some of my vocab hadn't vanished
I got mostly no's but one said maybe
I left with a firm first pump 'yeah baby'
Later we found musicians serenading some ladies
Their creepy expressions resembling Hades
A wretched guilt will stalk our days
Our kids, their kids; numb and dismayed
Climate change is our greatest threat
There can be no excuse for an apathetic mindset
We are all powerful agents of action
But money protects money without a global reaction
What will it take to awaken from our greed
I need to rethink the life that I lead