“off today”
Today, the government is off,
Officials and workers have had enough.
They’ve sent the message loud and clear,
It’s time for a break, and they’ve disappeared.
The rent is paid, the bills are set,
They’re in their tents, without regret.
A day for rest, a day for play,
A chance to invent and have your way.
No events today, no meetings or calls,
Just time to be content within four walls.
They’re present in mind and absent in work,
Taking a moment to unwind and not shirk.
No cement walls, no desks or chairs,
Just descent from the office stairs.
Time is spent, but not in vain,
A day of leisure to soothe the strain.
Some have lent their time to friends,
While others await the advent weekends.
With supplements and coffee, they relax and unwind,
Emphasizing the need to balance work and mind.
A day of accent on self-care,
Not one of percent and growth to bear.
Consent given to take a break,
With dissent left behind, for sanity’s sake.
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So let them have this day off,
With assent from all and no scoff.
Tomorrow they’ll return, refreshed and renewed,
Ready to tackle the work with a new attitude.
references
- “Leisure” by William Henry Davies: “What is this life if, full of care, / We have no time to stand and stare.”
- “Sunday Morning” by Wallace Stevens: “There would be no more cakes and ale? / No more to-morrows? — / Not today; there would be time enough to mourn.”
- “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” by W.B. Yeats: “I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree, / And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made: / Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee, / And live alone in the bee-loud glade.”
- “The Waste Land” by T.S. Eliot: “April is the cruellest month, breeding / Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing / Memory and desire, stirring / Dull roots with spring rain.”
While these poems do not directly reference the phrase “off today” in relation to the government, they do touch on themes of rest, relaxation, and taking a break from the routine of daily life.
