Any Spare ChangeChristine Kugele Any spare change for the needy! Any spare change! Oh, yes! You can walk past, with your noses in the air ; sniffing, turning away. You’re all too busy to care, or to notice. Believe it or not, once upon a time you did notice. Once upon a time I walked amongst you, laughing and joking, on my way to work. Once upon a time I journeyed by underground, came up those very steps and walked, a picture of fashionable elegance, to the office. Any spare change for the needy! Any spare change! There was a time of warmth and friendship. There was a time when we went to dinner, to the theatre, the opera, the galleries. There was a time when we took our holidays abroad, and laughed at our experiences when we returned. There was a time when the world was my oyster. Any spare change for the needy! Any spare change! Suddenly, one day - one bright, clear, promising day - it ended. Just like that - turning the light out. Everything vanished. I tried to think that the Managing Director was being kind. I tried to agree that it was for the best, but I just sat, saying nothing, just sat, mouth open, completely motionless, my hands grasping the arms of the chair, my feet on thick carpet, the Managing Director’s spectacles glinting benevolently, and then nothing, just nothing. Any spare change for the needy! Any spare change! In one short moment, it was all swept away - position, salary, the promise of retired security, home, friends, self-esteem. What is there left for me, ladies and gentlemen, priests and Levites? No-one knows. No-one wants to know. Any spare change for the needy! Any spare change!
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© 1999 Westminster Writers' Group. Last updated 28/07/99.