Ease and Squeeze

 

Give and take

Is like ease and squeeze,

Our PM knows when to press gas

And when to freeze.

 

She needs to freeze

Cause she’s been on the gas

And the little we’ve accumulated

Is slipping away quite fast.

 

We need an ease

Cause we getting squeeze,

Cost of living continues to rise

Prices need to freeze.

 

Give and take isn’t working

At least, it is not for me,

I’m not numbered among the rich

And surely, I’m not wealthy.

 

 

 

Prices need to ease

For example, on gasoline

Plus, the quality of the gas we get

Is enough to make one scream.

 

Put in less than $60

And it’s gone the next day,

At present, driving on gasoline fumes,

Seems to be the Bajan way.

 

Do we pay VAT on petrol?

I would like to know,

Cause VAT and Tax at the fuel pump

Is definitely a “no-no”

 

Some roads are atrocious

In spite of the tax at the pump,

We have many slow-down potholes

Instead of the usual hump.

 

And worst when it rains

We’d better learn to swim

For given the depth of some potholes

There might be a drowning.

 

We need an ease

From these expensive potholes

For the way my money is going

My pocket must have holes.

 

 

Supermarkets are a trip

And once was a weekly squeeze

But now the money can’t stretch;

We definitely want an ease.

 

I was there day before

And I went back today,

Ordinarily it would have been a week

But this is no longer the way.

 

I am not “hand-to-mouth’

So, you can understand

What a challenge it is for others

With a lesser budgeted plan.

 

If they ever stop junk food

Some people will not eat

For the acquisition of a balanced diet

Is an inaccessible feat.

 

Well not for the well-off

Like the higher echelons,

But for the poor and vulnerable,

This hope is long gone.

 

Less ease, more squeeze

More give, less take,

The better off is given more

Less is the poor man’s stake.

 

So many poor among us

Not enough to go around,

Just enough for a few more pearls

To add to the rich man’s crown.

 

 

 

A huge gulf between

The rich and the very poor

And that gulf is widened by Government

Even more and more.

 

We need an ease

I have to reiterate,

Please, those who have been elected,

Improve the poor man’ state.

 

Stewart Russell © November 19, 2024

 

In Line and Online

 

 

How times have changed

And how life has progressed

And what a price we are paying

Just to have a little rest!

 

In line was a discipline

That was developed at school,

From primary school days in sun and rain

Get in line was the rule.

 

Stay in your given position

And don’t you dare go out of line

Or you may feel a whack in your back

Or some heat on your behind.

 

It’s not a forbidden expletive

Just an anatomical designation

That teachers and parents often used

To get a child’s attention.

 

In line for milk and biscuits

In line when the lunch break ends,

In line to board the school bus

In line was then the trend.

 

In line to receive punishment

Usually a lash in the hand or two

Or a caning by the school principal

Leaving the butt black and blue.

 

In line to get your immunization

In line to get your tooth pulled,

In line for pleasure and in line for pain

In line there was scarcely a lull.

 

 

It was the discipline of the time

And it gave us a sense of order

That we even practised into adult life

At home and beyond our border.

 

In line could be frustrating though

Like in line to pay a bill,

Land tax, income tax or driver’s license

Can be a difficult pill.

 

In line at the petrol station

Inhaling pungent petrol fumes

Or in certain un-named supermarkets

Where there is little room.

 

In line at the commercial banks

Standing for an inordinately long time,

In line to board public transportation

After the daily grind.

 

But a change of sorts has come

Where in line is giving way to online,

Much of this change was made necessary

When COVID plagued body and mind.

 

 

 

 

 

Paying from the comfort of home

Working and shopping too,

Online facilitates a far better experience

For people like me and you.

 

Sometimes in line still plays a part

In frustrating me and you

Especially with certain utility services

When we have to report an issue.

 

Although we are operating on line

We sometimes have to wait in line

And the wait can be so time consuming

It can wreak havoc with our mind.

 

When you are standing in line

You know how many are before you

But online it is a different situation

And often you don’t have a clue.

 

While the customer service reps

Are busy dealing with other complaints,

You listen to some unappealing music

And learn to exercise restraint.

 

In line can play havoc with online

And cause patrons a frustrating wait

But I’d still rather online to in line

Because I get an easier break.

 

I can shop overseas if I want

Or I can peruse the local stores

And I can have the item that I ordered

Delivered right to my door.

 

 

I can pay my bills on time

Be it morning, noon or night

And should I feel somewhat hungry,

I can order my favourite delight.

 

That online trumps in line

I have not the slightest doubt,

Perhaps it is time my valued reader

That you also try it out.

 

Stewart Russell © August 11, 2023