watching the clock
on my laptop
as if it’s an untrained puppy
behaving under my gaze
my mind turns
to Pilates
to Netflix
minutes turn the lock
on the gate between
my labour and my freedom
to sunshine walks
to the hours spent
without nursing a laptop
bracing for a Microsoft Teams call
sifting through emails
as if they are gold in the river
that’s not mine to keep
little poems 