Sunday 19 May 2019

Visit visa





Somewhere between the junk mail and the spam,
the old coffee ring and jingling doorbell,
between the clicks and cookies is where I am
and the form's a boiled bullfrog in a spell;
in the crumbs of breakfast rolls and plum jam,
the nervous laughter summed in a nutshell,
huge search portals and old blinking programmes,
algorithms that don't travel very well.


A time slot please, for the biometrics,
the photo must be 2'' X 2",
take off the specs, not sure about the lipstick,
a clean background, spotless white is preferred.
Don't look for greys, don't say even a word,
look at the lens, there's no need to flinch.



12 comments:

  1. I'm sure I'm way off, but sounds like someone is getting a passport to leave...

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  2. I would agree with Alex. Passport renewal time?

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    Replies
    1. Done and dusted...officialdom is so uniformly tedious everywhere and every time! I wonder if they train all of 'em at some kind of global school :)

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  3. Hari om
    That's kinda the effect of forms of all types on me. Doesn't matter about the PhD, forms are official and therefore scary...having just had to fill and provide shots for passport renewal, I know!!! YAM xx

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    1. Forms are super scary - and online forms take the horror factor up one notch!

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  4. I think the rule for any official photo is that you look exhausted or like a criminal. Your eyes flinch that last second to be half closed or looking elsewhere and the stray cowlick flies up from the head. We all look like we got off the plane at 2 am.........!

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  5. Official photos are the worst! We can't smile, wear "obvious" makeup or have visible jewelry. I always look like a corpse :)
    I enjoyed this - makes me itch to write some poetry again!

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    1. Please do! Poetry is so super neat to write.

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  6. I don't understand why different countries need different backgrounds and strict specifications for the photographs!
    Just to ensure that we actually get one taken rather than pluck one out of the album?

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    Replies
    1. Ya, probably. Now they've added another parameter - without specs! How is one to know where to look for 'straight ahead' if one can't see without them?? :)

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