The Strivers and the Shirkers
- The Strivers and the Shirkers
after H.G. Wells
They come at night
leave scratches on the walls,a bruise in their voicesthe foul grumble of machinery.
We have what they want.This is why they hate us:our wineglasses safe in their purple beds,the plump view through our windows.
They stuff dirty messages into our heads:'Help us.' 'We are cold.'We know they are lying.
If caught, we do nothingbut lay sadly down before them.
They dine nightly on our warm, silky claws. [End Page 143]
For Sarah, Osborne's language of 'strivers' and 'shirkers' immediately brought to mind H.G. Wells' fantastical Morlocks and Eloi from The Time Machine. The poem explores how the conflict between those in society who thrive within the established system and those who are put at a disadvantage by it can become a battle of representation.
