Frayed and Afraid
by John Kaprielian
Frayed and afraid
they go to work each day
now don gloves and masks to
perform the tasks they’ve
done a thousand times
before when no one cared
but now they are essential
(or perhaps sacrificial)
still paid minimum wage
too tired to be enraged they
work extra hours risk their
health not for wealth but
just to scrape by and to
ensure that you have food
even if they might die.
John Kaprielian is a Russian linguist by education and was been employed as a photo editor for three decades. He has been writing poetry for over thirty-five years; in 2012 he challenged himself to write a poem a day for a year and in 2013 published the 366 poems in a single volume, “366 Poems: My Year in Verse”, available on Amazon. He has had poems published on The Five-Two Poetry Blog, Down in the Dirt Magazine, New Verse News, and Minute Magazine. His poetry ranges in subject matter from the natural world to current events and politics to introspective and philosophical themes. He lives in Mahopac with his wife and son and assorted pets. Please visit him on Twitter @johnkaprielian and his poetry-related Facebook page
