work

the devolution of a concept

a man has to eat
has to feed his
family and his deeply
placed need to be
of value in the world

but a man and his will
sweating out his life
on a piece of land
as down-payment on
a distant future is now
no longer an option
for most of us

in its place
a settlement without
real options
an acceptance of
a beggar's bargain

become a cog
a component
in a well designed corporate
marketplace
offering pride through
association
because branding matters

and the pay
is good and benefits
too

but it's not
a singular effort
that becomes a crop
or a saddle
or a cabin or a source
of genuine pride

but the check
when it comes, yes
it does come regular
and yes, it does
pay the bills

and so
it's no longer about
the work
but merely the functional

an idea
that lumps us 
into a faceless pool
of interchangeable bodies

an idea

that says our value

is only

what the market 

will bear

Reviews

[...]

. this is a very telling social comment ... beautifully written ... indeed, that is precisely what happens ... that last stanza is particularly exceptional ...