Taking Stock (2009)

This was also another piece written during term 1 at the Roundhouse Poetry Collective, the title was given to us by Polar Bear, and this is what I wrote. I've no idea back then why I wrote everything in capitol's, which is why I have left it that way, as it's an indication of where I was at the time.

TAKING STOCK

HE KNEW HE'D GONE TOO FAR

WHEN HE WALKED OUT WITH THE HOLBY CITY BOXSET,

.......AND THEN TOOK IT BACK,

WHEN HE WAS NEXT ON SHIFT WITH THE AIR OF A DISGRUNTLED CUSTOMER

UNSATISIFED WITH THE PRODUCT

THE EXPANDING PILE'S OF DVD'S ON PERMENANT LOAN FORM WORK,

IN THE CORNER OF TONY'S BEDROOM

WAS STARTING TO RESEMBLE A MINI METROPOLIS

WITH EACH PILE A SKY SCRAPER,

TRYING TO OUTDO THE NEAREST NEIGHBOUR

IN A SHOW OF HEIGHT MEANS POWER

TONY KNEW HE'd BECOAME TOO LAX WITH HIS HABIT TOO TAX

I MEAN, HOLBY CITY?

WHAT WAS HE THINKING?

AND THEN TAKING IT BACK??

WHAT WAS HE THINKING?

BUT TONY WAS INDIFFERENT

INSISTENT TO HIS FREINDS THAT HE COULDANT CARE LESS EITHER WAY

IN FACT

HE SAID HE'D WELCOME A SACKING

IT MIGHT PROMOPT HIM TO DO SOMETHING WITH HIS DEGREE

TONY KNEW HE TOOK OLYMPIC GOLD WHEN IT CAME

TO INTERNATIONAL UNDERACIEVMENT

HE DID'NT SPEACK MUCH OF HIS OWN DESIRE

HE DID ONCE SHOW ME A FILM HE MADE AFTER THE CHRISTMAS PARTY LAST YEAR

IN A DRUNKEN STATE

WE PILED BACK TO HIS MUM'S HOUSE

AND I SPOTED IT HIDING IN AOUNGST THE HUNDREDS OF DVD'S

HE RELUCTANTLY AGREED AND STUCK IT ON

OF COURSE I DID'NT UNDERSTAND IT

NO-ONE DID

AND I CAN ONLY PRESUME AT THE POINT,

STEVE,

WHO'D NEVER LIKED TONY,

STEVE JUST WERNT THAT CLEVOR

BUT HE WAS CLEVOR ENOUGH TO PUT 2 AND 2 TOGETHER

AND ATTIRTUBE THE LARGE NUMBER OF DVD'S IN TONYS POSSESSION,

TO ACCOUNT FOR A LARGE AMOUNT OF MISSING STOCK

IN THE ANNUAL STOCK TAKE

IT WAS ONLY A SMALL STORE

AND SURE ENOUGH STEVE WAS CAUGHT

WELL, NOT CAUGHT, YET

INNCOCENT UNTIL PROOVEN GUILITY

THE AREA LOSS PREVENTION OFFICER

HAD HIM IN THE OFFICE,

CLUTCHING THE HOLBY CITY BOXSET

LIKE A DETETVICE INSPECTOR CLUTCHING THE PREVERBIRAL BOOK

TONY COULDANT JUSTIFY WHY HE WAS IN POSSESSION OF THE BOXSET

JUST BEFORE STORE OPENING TIME OF 9A.M

AND THE 5 STAR LOSS PREVENTION OFFICER TURNED CHEIF SUPER INTENDANT

COULDANT PROOVE THAT TONY HAD ROBBED IT AS HE WAS TECHNICALLY ON THE PREMISIES

THE LOSS PREVENTION MAN WAS BECOME MORE AND MORE FRSUTRATED

AS I COULD SEE THOUGH THE WINDOW IN THE DOOR OF THE OFFICE

THE HOLBY CITY BOXSET ATTCHED TO A HAND THAT WAS FLAPPING ROUND

LIKE A T-SHIRT ON A WASHING LINE IN A STRONG WIND

I IMAGNINED TONY WAS PROIBABLY FINDING THE WHOLE AFFAIR QUITE AMMUSING

OR AT LEAST SOMEWHAT INCONVINING

BUT WHEN HE CAME OUT

THE ONLY THING HE SAID WAS

"I THOUGHT THE FIRST EPISODE WAS ALLRIGHT, BUT THERE WAS NO PROGESSION"

HE GAVE A SLIGHT SMILE

SIGHED

IT LATER TRANSIRED THAT HE'S BEEN TEMPROAILEY SUSPENDED

PENDING INVESTIGATION

WHICH WOULD EXPLAIN WHY I SAW HIM ON MY LUNCHBREAK

BUYING A PEN, A PAD AND A COPY OF AN OPEN UNIVERSTITY MAGAZINE