CHRISTINE M. KNIGHT

She was a role model For modern women. Liberated from the labels That had defined earlier generations, She was an expert on things cosmetical From surgical to chemical. She was a product of the cutting edge, A manufactured woman, Celebrated in magazines, Sold across the nation. In matters of weight, She knew exactly how much to weigh in. In the powerhouse of business,

Bureaucracy - Well-intentioned, Complicated by layered protocols, Clogged by lock-step, mandatory processes, Weighed down by governance overhead - Lumbers wheezily towards the stairs of progress.

Emptiness consumes … Its hunger sated briefly With the ch-ching of purchase: High-end luxury goods That break the budget; Low-end 'buys' that Saturate life.

With her eye on the evening clock And thirty minutes until dinner time, She paused to survey the home scene: Kettle refilled and switched on; Kids doing homework; Washing under way in the laundry; Meat under the grill and vegetables in the microwave; Table still to be set; Life’s daily litter covering the living area, again.

Walking … Life at human speed Liberated from Internet connected lives. Walking …

Saccharine sweet ladies -insincere smiles, dulcet tones, iced innuendo, weave their destruction from teacup disturbances.