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A visual representation of "Thinking of Work" by James Shea

LEUNG Yik Nam
Shung Tak Catholic English College


After the storm, many places were damaged. A man was climbing the ladder, tidying up the world. He coloured the wall blue, and replaced the clouds and the sun. He was busy, but hollow. Something in his heart was lost. Something in his heart flew out of the window. He could only think of work. When I first read this poem, it brought me a feeling of sorrow. Everything was damaged. Limbs were cracked and the sun was blown down. There were a lot of things to do after the storm. It would be very busy. However, he could only feel hollow, just like something flew out of a window. I use blue colour to bring out this sad feeling. I paint the new sun, land and clouds with many different colours to make them colourful. It is because I believe after working and rebuilding the world, it will become wonderful again.

Thinking of Work


A brief storm
blew the earth clean.

There was much
to do: sun to put up,
clouds to put out,
blue to install,
limbs to remove,
grass to implant.

(The grass failed.
We ordered new grass.)

A limb cracked
in half in the short storm,
short with its feeling.

We saw its innards,
all the hollow places.

Something flew out of
the window and then
the window flew out of the window

James Shea


“Thinking of Work” was published in The Lost Novel by James Shea, p.2. Copyrights © 2014 by James Shea.