Office Politics

Melanie Marttila is a Sudbury-based freelance writer and writing
consultant.

Although this collection of poetry expresses the angst of a woman in the
modern workplace, men will also relate to its exploration of the world
of work, which runs the gamut from mental-health to issues of language.
Melfi’s poetry is very much concerned with its subject matter, and
while she uses language, structure, and tone in a subtle and revealing
dance, her poetry avoids being overly sophisticated, therefore appealing
to a broader audience.

The poems are untitled, often speaking simply, yet eloquently, for
themselves. Number 53 offers the first line: “I’m unilingual I can
only speak Fear.” Fear is a language in which “l-l-l-l-l-ove” has
no power whatsoever. Fear is the language of the “closed-circuit
circle of friends,” which is the power structure Melfi’s persona
works within, and around.

Lists and memos populate the collection. Some of these offer
instruction (what to do at an office party, for example), others
reminders of what job hunting and unemployment really mean in this
country, and still others are mind-numbing litanies of life in the
working world. Poem number 44 recounts 10 days in the life of a working
girl, in which the 10th day remains “Un-opened.”

In the end, Melfi’s working world offers no solace. It is a sinking
ship, a “Learning Tower of Babel,” a place where a high-school
dropout becomes a national treasure and the boss calls on weekends “to
save … money and mercy.” Whether employed or unemployed, Melfi’s
poetic personae are trapped in a world whose predominant
metaphor—work—sparingly doles out meaning into their lives.