Wonderings in wandering

Woken at 07:45 hours, this day as every for the past God-knows-how-many mornings. He stopped counting months ago. Familiar shouts and clattering, steel on steel. He’s never been in such constant company. If he can’t see them, he can hear them. If he cant hear them, he can smell them. Two hundred and fifty God-forsaken souls bouncing off the concrete walls. And yet, never has he been so lonely. In the middle of this swirl of doing, coming and going, he plays the game of acquaintance, unpleasant pleasantries exchanged on the landings when custom, advantage and survival says he must. But he dreams of solitary, a box just for him. A place of quiet, or quiet as it gets. Lonely for solitude and spiritual guidance, gently closing the door while all others slam. Lonely for recognition, his currency no use where his is now, he trades in sensitivity, not noise and bravado. Lonely for connection, the true self hidden, protected by ever thickening walls of stoicis...

  Who are ‘They’? You know, the ones who said it would rain today. Are they the same ‘They’ that claim a glass of red wine a day is good for you? Or are they the ‘They’ that decided quinoa, blueberries and chia seeds needed a superlative? ‘They’ said the pandemic would change everything, ‘They’ promised a new normal. But then again, ‘They’ promised to be carbon neutral by 2030. ‘They’ say mental illness is on the rise yet ‘They’ are spending unprecedented resources on it.   [Oh, you mean the ‘They’ who raise wages? Or the ‘They’ who let inflation spiral?] Which ‘They’ is it who are calling for Peace? The ‘They’ that call for ceasefires? Surely not the same ‘They’ that are profiting from arms sales to rich warlords and using hateful speech on ‘Their’ platforms? These are the ‘They’ who hide behind a pronoun when delivering news of death, poverty, corruption and failure. The same ‘They’ who suddenly personify when plaudits, praise and ...