In 1978, I moved my ‘new’ family to British Columbia, At the same time, I transferred my Unemployment Insurance claim from Ontario to BC. It took the longest time to get it sorted out. We had to live with Mom during this period of time. When my frustrations boiled over, I wrote this poem.

You I See and Me

Until I quit my last job, I’d

Never known what others had to

Encounter when they attempted to

Make ends meet. But it does no good

Pretending that money is a

Luxury meant only for the rich.

Out in the cold, where the wet wind

Yowls and howls, are many of the

Men who’ve tried to provide the bare

Essentials of life to those who are

Near and dear to them, only to find

That they’ve been disentitled, cut off.

I have not been cut off, I hope.

Not that it hasn’t crossed my mind:

Such things have been known to happen to

Unsuspecting individuals.

Rarely can justice be done in such

A case, for someone, somewhere, who is

Not entitled to assistance,

Cancels another’s benefits to

Equalize an inequality.

Computers, on the other hand,

Occupy a place in life to

Make it better for many of the

Multitude who depend on speed

In receiving their bi-weekly cheques.

So, why must I be left in a lurch,

Standing penniless at the bank,

Ineffective in feeding my own?

Only Man can create systems

Not programmed to do a good job.

Ask me what I’d like to have: just the

Necessities to house my two

Dependents, that’s really all.

Maybe on judgment day, they must

Explain the delay; but “Not today.”