Budget Constraints
Aiden Seekins
Can I get that again?
How far off?
How Far OFF?
That’s not great
But not a bad opportunity.
There are certain Individuals
Who we might be able to
Part with.
Exactly! That means expendable,
Put into unnecessary jobs,
Unneeded, out of the way,
It's the next logical step in a time of crisis.
NO. They don’t fit our strategic vision.
It's simply a matter of business.
Oh my dear boy, it was your error.
But, you are loyal, things happen.
As for those caught in the fallout,
It's simply a budget constraint.
I had the wrong numbers, I-
More than we can stomach, sir.
Millions.
I’m Sorry sir, I didn’t-
What, sir?
But, sir, they had nothing to do with it
Sir? That's unethical.
How can we justify this?
It was my error.
On a warm morning in an August day
Outside the bowels of a climate-controlled University
Office; birds float from tree to tree
Leaves swing among the branches,
Ants sunbathe in the young morning glow,
Hands lift and place coffee cups
Filled with drinks bitter and sweet
The stones are sweating as midday rises,
A man wipes the moisture off his brow
With the sleeve of a weathered gray suit
While his other hand holds a brief case
On the edge of giving up.
After thirty years, each patterned step
Sinks in the indentions made by his
Faithful soles in the stone, formed
Quietly; each day, placing his foot
In the same dutiful spot on the sidewalk.
He trust each stone, each step, each passerby
On his commute to and from his office
At the edge of the university.
