She Shall Not Walk Poem by Terence George Craddock

She Shall Not Walk

Rating: 5.0


my daughter my daughter my eldest daughter
has worked part time weekends holidays
since she was thirteen now she is older fifteen
always her choice her wishes in employment
first babysitting sometimes just $10 dollars
for an entire day 8 hours all people could pay
they often made up for it next time if they could
she progressed from babysitting to fast food

serving fish and chips to customers mostly cleaning
experiences experiences teach life realities values
the value of money hard to make easy to spend for many
but in fast foods hours were bad late often not enough
so she moved into supermarkets serving at checkout
again she chose her days the shifts how many hours
I thought she would choose less days less shifts easy
but she surprised me chose most offered the hard way

she began training she trained mostly learned fast
she learned making few mistakes learned accurate
she learned listening she learned being caring careful
she learned being polite greeting smiling for customers
she learned most customers are nice or indifferent busy
she learned a few very few are nasty came home cried
she learned a few very few are thieves thief has consequences
she learned important life skills small steps confidence ability

she had to learn skills removing plastic bags
as plastic bags were to be outlawed a thousand dollar fine
if supermarket selling soon to be illegal plastic bags
skill here how to deal with customers angry missing plastic bags
next how to learn checkout machine its operational parts
how to reset machine functions scale perishable produce
how to look up clubcard by name phone number address
how to ask for age to not sell alcohol to minors $2000 fine

for checkout seller $2000 dollar fine $10000 fine for supermarket
plus banned alcohol sales for six weeks for supermarket a massive loss
to learn difference between an on-license and an off-license
the supermarket and liquor store rules as applied to checkout ***
my daughter had to study pass multiple checkout skills
my daughter had to study pass multiple supermarket skills
aspects of employment contract skills supermarket needed
my daughter even learned lotto sales rules sells lotto tickets

my eldest daughter surprised as an exceptional checkout worker
my eldest daughter finished all employment courses fast
my eldest daughter arrived on time never missed shifts called in sick
my eldest daughter worked extra shifts short staffed more than most
my eldest daughter worked through outlawed plastic bag abuses
my eldest daughter worked through COVID 19 customer abuses
my eldest daughter worked other staff refused with COVID 19 fears
my eldest daughter worked with customer crazy COVID 19 restrictions

but my eldest daughter does have one big workplace grievance
despite a few years of confidence efficiency workplace experience
despite having more skills than some older staff polite smiles service
despite being fast on express till main till packing selling lotto tickets
my eldest daughter works for less than almost all staff learning new staff
my eldest daughter works for several dollars an hour less than new staff
because my daughter is under youth under age 16 exploitation contract
prime minister bubble head Adern believes in youth exploitation contract

Jacinda Adern believes under 16 youth exploitation contract is fair
Jacinda Adern believes exploiting under 16 youth hard workers is fair
Jacinda Adern believes not in morality fair pay because youth can't vote
I believe responsible parenting responsible government employment cares
I believe youth have the right to work if they wish plus right to fair pay
but I do not believe my daughter has the right to walk to work in the dark
I do not believe my daughter has the right to walk home nights in the dark
to walk to work to walk home in dark dangers I drive her she shall not walk

it may be safe it may not
the dark may have danger or not
but she shall not walk
I will drive her she shall not walk

Friday, October 16, 2020
Topic(s) of this poem: danger,learning,safety,work
POET'S NOTES ABOUT THE POEM
Copyright © Terence George Craddock
Written in September & October 2020 on the 29.9&17.10.2020.
Complete version of the split images 'From Babysitting To Fast Food To Supermarket', 'First Supermarket Training: Customer Reading Skills', 'Supermarket Sales Legal Requirements', 'My Eldest Daughter Surprises With Crisis Skills', 'Workplace Grievance: Under 16 Youth Exploitation Contract' and 'The Right To Work But Not To Walk' by the poet Terence George Craddock.
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
k Craddock 06 November 2020

You’ve just about mastered it. That’s better than ever.

0 0 Reply
Varsha M 16 October 2020

This bis s very beautiful father daughter relationship portrayal. Aptly shown s concerned father call. Just lovely reading this.

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