An Early Morning Call
Are you being scammed?
The day starts easy enough.
Arses of cold grey cloud dissolving
into slanting winter sunshine
casting elongated shadows diagonally
across the grass, slicing it into dewy layers.
Mild clangs from expanding radiators confirm
the central heating’s firing up the next energy bill
adding percentage to my carbon footprint.
A digital ring from the phone gouges
a jagged hole in my post waking silence.
Muttering, I ‘king hell my way to the handset
expecting an, ‘it’s me.’ greeting . . , but no.
‘Good morning, my name is Jennifer.’
A barely comprehensible Asian accent
informs me she’s from Microsoft.
Anticipating her play I take a deep breathe
before choosing my response.
I used to love the opportunity these calls offered.
Legitimately releasing unbridled venom
unloading my considerable knowledge
of English foul language to some little shit.
Slamming down the phone feeling released.
Today remorse crept up and reminded me
of the poverty in this World — I cut the call
I guess it’s better than working in a sweat shop.
for purely coincidental reasons I was listening to Clubbed to death when I decided to read your poem as a visitor, it is great to do this simultaneously then I had a brilliant idea I had to share with …you and the rest, the ending and I logged in just to do that (Liked it a lot btw)
Today remorse crept up and reminded me
of the poverty in this World — I cut the call
I guess we’re all working in a matrix sweat shop.
cheers !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFS4zYWxzNA
Hi Nic
You have just convinced me to watch Matrix
Ivy been putting it off for a long time partly because Keanu Reeves is in it not my fave actor
I hope it is still on Netflix
Watched both blade runner films
They are very interesting from an Android POV
Thanx
a movie that’s all, the idea was already expressed by Philip Dick that we live in a computer simulation in his opinion, an opinion with a certain gravity of a man whose work is titanic. as for Neo as Keanu or Keanu as Neo, well they indeed chose the perfect icon for this film, who knows why, I suspect it’s because of this Nobody this Anomaly scenario that if indeed it’s a simulation of some kind and if there is an architect certain anomalies cannot be explained/glitches and his face was perfect for the role, handsome white male jesus-like, buddha-like.… Read more »
I realised I had seen the film when I checked Netflix. I’d forgotten about it which shows how much of an impression it made on me, (like most Keanu films) I wouldn’t mind if Philip Dick was right, because then I could believe in an afterlife and hope when my “file” finishes it can be updated and re-used 😉 I still feel Frank Herbert’s perception of the future (not the worms) is more likely than Dick although he may also be right and Herbert’s future follows on from Dick’s. But we’ve talked about this before. For my poem I agree… Read more »
Philip Dick is talking about the after life in Ubik. Pay attention to this novel which I doubt they will make a movie ever, Philip is talking about something far more sinister than a nasty emotionless architect, then read A scanner darkly and find that immensely poetic passage about some sort of window in timelessness. You have to read Valis too which most people do not comprehend, and connect the dots of his philosophy.
I’m thinking about making this the last stanza:
Today remorse tapped me on the shoulder
reminding me of the poverty in this World.
. . . I cut the call
.
What do you think, Nic?
I would like to see some sort of inner battle here, any scenario would do, protecting yourself from staying too close to such indignant emotions is an excellent way to close this poem.
Remorse will tap me on the shoulder, again,
reminding me of the poverty in this World.
. . . , I think cutting such calls isn’t wrong.
something like that you can use any scenario of inner battle of a secondary plot in this one.
thus you also create a very open to many interpretations ending, we don’t know what you did. but you are familiar now with these thoughts and these emotions and wiser.
btw I think based on observations that using italics in a comment last triggers the problems in the boxes and users online.
I checked it with my first comment where I intentionally used a straight exclamation mark, which means your comment above triggered it because it ends with italics.
cheers !
Very odd that using italics in a comment should cause italics across the whole site
I guess Richard needs to check that out if just one person can affect the look of the site
Funny tho’ 🙂 :):)
back to your poem, it is interesting and a form of resistance this cutting such calls line, by allowing them you unwillingly justify the existence of such scam call centres which are less strenuous sweat shops. the rich exploit the poor but how can it stop? by turning your back to anything coming from such a thing. select your shoes your clothes your food your gadgets by researching the source the factories that produce them, selecting the calls and cutting those that are like the one you describe in the poem. (we vegetarians not vegans should normally select eggs from… Read more »
I just found a video about infiltrating a scam call centre in India Interesting but I can’t post it here I get these scam calls every few weeks I used to tell them to f*** off and accused them of being criminals but the people there are being exploited So now I cut the calls every time they probably get cursed and insulted about 200 times a day it’s water off a duck’s back All the boss wants is access to your passwords and personal info I doubt the callers get more than a few rupees a call I contacted… Read more »
you are the target and you are the reason they have such call centres, it doesn’t matter what your reaction is, they want emotion you are being harvested for energy.
Well in my case they are wasting their time the well has dried up 🙂
“Leave a little tip for poor slob on his one-way trip,” Frank Zappa. The whole thing is a scam. Being made to feel responsible for it is the biggest scam of all.
Zappa said a lot of stuff most of it deeper that it looked like most of his music Brilliant mam imo
I don’t feel responsible – the damage was done long before our time
Poverty breeds ingenuity
scamming is as old as prostitution
Thanks for commenting sorry for the delay
I had fun reading this you have summed up the annoyance and frustration of these calls breaking into the day perfectly. Sue.
Thanks Sue
I get these calls every few weeks. Much less than before I call the phone company. They said they can’t be traced but would try to stop the calls.
It’s always from people claiming to be from Microsoft. Sad thing it the people making the call don’t get the profits from these scams
Brilliant expose Guaj; and haven’t we all been there? I’ve tried all sorts of defences; the weirdest was me as a demented elderly gentleman – along the lines of Henry Crun (aka The Goons). But yes, its probably best to gently put down the receiver and wish them blessings.
I would have likes to hear that Doug 🙂
Ive tried answering in a foreign language and also pretended to go along with the scam but I chickened out
Now I just put the the phone down
The worst I’ve done is actually screaming down the phone, then pretending to collapse; but it doesn’t seem to have any effect – apart from bringing my wife hurtling up the stairs!!