Judgement Day

• Laura McKenna, Grade 12
• Poetry
• 2009

Judgement Day

It stood
in front of me.
Patronisingly elegant with a smug brass handle,
the door to his office revelled in a perfect spotlight.
Streams of mahogany,
umber and ochre cascaded into the curt oasis
defined by a boarder
of gold
which murmured from within.
Judgement day took place every time
a hand dared to disturb the surface
(though the ripples never lasted longer than a pebble’s).

I waited in the shadows,
my eyes racing each other
through the carved maze which smirked from centre stage
‘THE BOSS’
A promotion present from his wife, someone told me.
The essence of a smile twitched
from the corners of my mouth in recognition of the thought
but the childish snigger I sought
hid in the nervous
fumbling of my fingers.

The door swung open.
With a toothless grin it beckoned
“Next please!”
The deep echo
stole a flicker of terror from my eyes.
A memory of sweat
lingered
on my palms.
The time had come.
I rose.
Slowly, quickly
Calmly,
Frantically forgetting my name in a moment of panic!
It was time to get my first job.