Oiseau de Jaune

I threw this on me, not meaning to go outside,
my eyes wearing last night’s colours,

but on the radio: ‘five million households
on minimum wage’        I never felt part
of something more than my family,
something as big as the entire country.

I was only ever listed as a percentage:
the smaller of contributions to GDP
meant to bolster 1.7 target growth,
€2 billion worth to the consumer industries,
tens of millions of damage,
ten million in Paris alone.

Who can ration my self-worth?
Who can numerate my helplessness?
I have been an underling my entire life;
today, I am headline news.