Piecework

They sit, six women in the room,
piecing together hangers
for dresses they will never afford,
little plastic cubes, 
eight, ten, twelve, 
twenty, twenty-four 
strewn across the carpet.

Delivered by the box-load,
four parts to each hanger,
five pounds per three hundred assembled.
Not possible to do it in under an hour 
even with the help of friends.
The TV blares, their coffee cools,
Jade pops out for a fag.
They talk of how they'll cope next week
with all the kids off school
and last Saturday down the pub
and when you could get 
early morning shifts at Raleigh 
or Players, cleaning loos.

Six women, eight hours,
forty-eight hours' labour
and forty pounds to show.
Sometimes they share it
but today it's been agreed that if
they work tomorrow and half Friday
Amber can pay her rent.

©Janet Henderson 5th December 2016