—
after work
I
swap my corporate suit
for
cotton
jeans and an XL hoody
I
slip off the pumps
and
slip on
sensuous,
bare feet
I
trade in my keyboard
for
pistachio
nuts and chilled Chardonnay
I
shut down the spreadsheet
and
open up
a
big, fat newspaper
I
push aside the ergonomic chair
and
sink in
to
my overstuffed second-hand couch
sweetest
of all
I
rip off my goddamn bra
and
exhale,
free at last
—
after work
For one winter, I worked in a temporary placement office, interviewing
prospective ‘temps’ for office work. Company policy was such that the
interviewers were supposed to look at least more professional than the incoming temps. Despite
the many -30 C days, I had to show up in a skirt and pantyhose five days a
week. In silent protest, I literally peeled off my clothes the second I walked
through my door at the end of a work day. Corporate clothing, of course, is ridiculously
restrictive. But what choice do you have when you are young and need to start
climbing the ladder?