Esther Chilton’s writing prompt for this week is team. You can join in here: https://estherchilton.co.uk/2025/02/12/writing-prompts-52/.
I am not much of a team player. I have had some very bad experiences where my hard work and creative solutions have been accredited to more senior people on my so called team. I’ve also had situations where the team doesn’t listen and a crisis results. These situations have left a bad taste in my mouth and now I prefer to run my own processes with as little involvement from other people as possible.
No Team
There is no I in teamwork, so they say
My experience defies this simplistic view
There is always an I who leads the way
The one who takes control
Does most of the hard work
Burns the midnight oil
This is the same one who gets
To share the recognition and rewards
With the rest of the team
There is no team in
Taking the initiative
Or getting things done
But there are numerous I’s
***
The next poem is not new, but it fitted how I absorbed Denise’s picture prompt. You can read what other writers have created here: https://dlfinnauthor.com/2025/02/18/creative-perspective-challenge-two-links-and-haibun-writingcommunity-flashfiction-poetry-haibun-creativeperspectivechallenge/
The Corporate Giant
It rears upwards
into the blue sky
a monstrosity
of reflective glass and
shiny stainless steel
towering over
the ant-sized people
who scurry about
in its imposing shadow
***
An emotionless giant
it is bereft of a soul
it feeds on small businesses,
corner cafes, fruit and nut shops,
independent butcheries, bakeries,
confectionaries and cake shops
even book sellers and
small stationers
are swallowed whole
disappearing into the gaping maw
of the corporate giant
***
It shreds and ingests
taking the sustenance it seeks
spitting out the bones
independence and individuality
creativity and uniqueness
mere entrails, unwanted and discarded
it stamps on difference
in its pursuit of profits
imperfections and belmishes
an unacceptable blight
on a perfect track record
***
What remains will finally
emerge as a mirror
reflecting the sameness
uniformity and consistency
it holds so dear
providing its market
with the conformity
and rigidity
that has taken over
and turned the world grey
