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