Prompt Master Poems

Overtime

They asked if I could stay a little late, just one more hour,
A harmless favor, they said, no need to glower.

Then it was “Just till nine,” to finish one small task,
A quick report, a tiny fix, that’s all we ask.

Soon it turned to “Close the shift,” since you’re already here,
Just answer calls, run numbers, nothing too severe.

Next came, “Can you cover Tom? He’s sick again,”
Just tonight, we promise, it won’t become a trend.

By midnight: “Clock out later, skip your break,”
It’s only policy, for the team’s own sake.

At 2 a.m.: “Sleep here, showers down the hall,”
Your desk’s basically a bed, you won’t mind at all.

By dawn they said, “You live here now, don’t you?”
Sign this form, it’s standard, nothing new.

And as the sun rose, bright and unforgiving,
I realized overtime had quietly become my living.


 

Task Prompt: Write a poem that gets more specific with each line.
Written for: "PromptMaster !" 
Line Count: 16