Wheels in the Government Building

[Mark A Becker]

Wheels in the Government Building

The cloze line of white signs
leading to locked doors
is boldfaced, reading:
Disabled Access to Meeting.



cloze \ kloz\ adj. : relating to a test of reading comprehension that involves having the person being tested supply words which have been systematically deleted from a text.

[busker]

First time I’ve seen “cloze” used in a poem - nice!
The last line seethes bureaucratic indifference.
Enjoyed it

[Mark A Becker]

First time I’ve seen “cloze” used in a poem - nice!
The last line seethes bureaucratic indifference.
Enjoyed it

Thanks busker,

This is an observation of an actual scene remembered from the mid-90's:  a long line of white signs that led to a locked door (the door even said "disabled access to meeting").  And it was is in a government center in Virginia.  The meeting in question was of the county board of supervisors, with a primary agenda item to be, you guessed it, equal access for people with disabilities. 

I'll never forget the look on that person's face as he reached up from his wheelchair and tugged at the door;  I confirmed that it was locked and then  found someone with a key.

Seems the big wheels in government are sometimes better at lip service than actual service for folks who rely on wheels to get around.... To be fair, accessibility is not nearly as much an issue now as it was decades ago (at least not in this area).
Mark