Last Day and Other Poems

Last Day is Samuel Ali's second collection of poems examining life working in a museum as a Retail and Admissions Assistant. The poems use personal feelings as a gateway to wider issues of museum life and employment. A particular theme is the gap between our aspirations and our actions.

Customer service

When it’s time to pay, we stop,
seeing ourselves
and giving thanks to fill the gaps.

We thank each hand
that reaches out.

We thank our sister
who stitched the cloth.

We thank our brother
who packed and shipped it, box by box.

And, we thank our child
who awaits the night that follows
that which is left unspoken
and the echoes of our apology.

From Last Day and Other Poems