one wall painted yellow for calm

And should there be a fire, we simply go out
this door to the left
up the stairs and out the door you came in, but
if for some reason
that door is blocked then don't worry we go back
along the hallway
and then down to the end where another door
swings through to the street.
Where we can meet and I'll be holding this list
of all your names to
check off against you and everything's fine, yeah?
Breathe out. Consider
simply that your hither-to cold, doubt riddled
Quest-to-find-a-Job
has gained a sudden cosiness. Oh I am
cognisant of course
you're not here by choice. Some of you might think
that you have other
things-to-do or lives-to-lead - that's natural and
all I can say is
it will pass. I know you're probably thinking
I'm just some geezer
who'd be like totally unemployed, if not
for the unemployed -
so we're all in this together. I always say,
we are each of us
individuals, to whom anything can happen.
Last week I had a chap
determined to be an Ambassador and
spoke six languages.
I said cool, you follow your dream. Only bear
in mind that dreams can
bend like starlight. Then a tailor rang me up,
quite sorely in need
of an apprentice and located quite near
where Pete lived. I thought,
I'll just offer it to him on the offchance.
And off like a shot,
he was working the very next day. Just being
in this room he found
himself a life. It's the life's the thing - the dream's
mere vapour waiting
to be coughed into any shape. I know this
room isn't pleasant
- someone said it's like being in hospital! -
but think of these walls
as holding your chances up. It's ok to
yawn. Standing up here
I can't get a true sense of the temperature ;
please sing if too hot.
And when you leave it's natural for me to say
'see you tomorrow'
or 'have a good weekend' but - and I do mean
this in a good way -
I hope you find what's looking for you, and the
future will take you
with swift undeniable closure. I won't say
see you tomorrow.

- Petra White