“Gig Economy,” by Margaret Ray (Poetry ’20)

“Gig Economy,” a poem by 2020 graduate Margaret Ray, was recently featured in Scoundrel Time. Read an excerpt below:

Gig Economy

I am a person you can pay to outsource
the in-person trolling of your long-distance nemeses.
On Monday, I got paid enough to buy a sandwich
for side-eyeing someone at a coffee shop.  Yesterday,
it was knocking someone’s ice cream onto the sidewalk
and then yelling “Mike says have a great day!”
while I made my escape. Today I have a pricey one.
Enough money for a fancy meal to call and cancel
Ubers until my client’s nemesis picks me up,
then boo them while they drive me
a single city block, at rush hour.
It can be hard to maintain a constant,
seething rage from a great distance.  Outrage
is knee-jerk, but rage is personal.  I provide
an important service.  The app makes sure to warn users
about how revenge can never satisfy.

Read the poem in its entirety here: https://scoundreltime.com/gig-economy/