Applied energy (work)

All creatures that are vertebrate

must work until lungs crepitate.

The weekly grind we punctuate

with weekends that invigorate.

284

In fair times we could federate

in unions that would regulate

and make the bosses obligate

to wage scales, we would help prorate.

288

If wronged we could expostulate

and sweat shops we’d inactivate

until the bosses expiate

and profits fairly integrate.

292

As populations pullulate

and work places de-regulate

employers we propitiate;

the paymaster, a cold cheapskate.

296

We now closely approximate

the slaves we used to castigate.

Our hands from hard work vesicate.

Taskmasters we calumniate.

300

Our pay packets we calibrate

so, debt we don’t exacerbate

and bankers can’t expropriate

possessions that we aggregate.

304

We hope that we can compensate

our incomes with a tax rebate

to partially alleviate

the bottom lines we rubricate.

308

Employment ads fantasticate.

Remunerations they misstate.

Make false claims and interpolate.

The overtime they understate.

312

Those of us that matriculate

hope that we’ll be a candidate

for jobs that we associate

with offices that coruscate.

316

Superb CV’s we paginate;

at interviews excogitate.

Our strengths we strongly iterate

and loyalty we predicate.

320

The unemployed in lines rotate.

We’ve exceeded our use-by-date.

This puts us in a dire strait.

Our self-worth it can vitiate.

324