Back in the days
when there were offices
and people had jobs
and I was a people
I would go to the bathroom
palming a paperback
and sit on the toilet
for up to an hour, reading.

This was back when I was an assistant
and had less of a work ethic.
I would never do such a thing now.

It was also before smartphones
ruined innovation in leisure activities.

I would enjoy the subterfuge,
sneaking the book past those who might care
so that I could avoid doing work
– when of course there was little work to do –
back before there was endless work to be done
without the jobs
without offices
without people.

Those were times
back in those ancient times.