QandA

I was watching QandA,
the other day.
But then I dug the remote out of that
pesky gap between the cushions,
and I switched the TV to static.
/
You see, this particular panel was comprised,
of rosy-cheeked students chattering
with ambition and generous smiles.
The politicians just looked at them,
slack-jawed and dead-eyed.
/
It wasn’t what they were saying per se,
but the fact that I wasn’t saying it,
that made me press that button.
The one that looks as red
as the cheap vinyl that adorns the QandA panel desk.
/
It wasn’t all that long ago,
that I sat on hard, blue, plastic school chairs.
Their undersides were covered in nodules of chewing gum,
like barnacle clusters clinging to the belly a ship.
I would fantasise about the plush chairs of an ABC studio.
/
Now I sit on a sweat stained lounge,
with a long faded sunflower print
that makes my skin itch.
Watching kids telling politicians off,
before my slack-jaw and dead-eyes.

(QandA) is a panel show in Australia where guests, usually a mix of politicians, answer audience questions)

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/9mcbmh/break_haiku/e7dno1v/?context=0
https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/9mjvhf/life_with_out_a_dad_first_time_poster/e7fhdf9/