The rush commute across London

By bus, tube or train

Like sardines in a can

Or rats up a drain

Herded like cattle

Ranted at by TFL

Hamsters on a wheel

A daily taste of hell

Personal space invaded

Rammed against each other in a cage

No wonder some people lose it

Consumed by frustration and rage

Exposed to each other’s odour

We sweat and we perspire

Germs gleefully multiply

A breeding ground, they spread like fire

Mingling with

‘The great unwashed’

A mosh pit of misery

How do they justify the cost?!

Delays, cancellations,

Overcrowded stations close

Locked on the street

Crowds gather, nowhere to go

Then when you get in

The platform’s 5 lines deep

With people clamouring to board

A bottle-neck of bewildered ‘sheep’

What the solution is I don’t know

Should we all vacate the town?

Move ourselves to the sticks?

Or stay here and drown?

Quit our city jobs?

Work in the local pub?

With London rents soaring

We’d be buggered but perhaps we should

For perhaps another

Way we’ll find

More conducive to getting

The work-life balance just right

More of the ‘me’ time

Less of the grind

Space to breathe

De stress, unwind

For nigh on 15 hours a week

I traverse this treacherous treadmill

Purely for work, pleasure is extra

And I’m finding it pretty dreadful

So I’m seeking ways

To ease the pain

For I’ve hit a wall

Can’t continue this way

I do have a choice

Though it’s a tough one to make

So I’m weighing everything up

For my sanity’s at stake

I’ve done it for the money

But no amount of dosh

Can refund me the hours

Of my life I’ve lost

So watch this space

We’ll see how things pan out

Either poor and sane I’ll be

Or loaded with the straight jacket out!