Wednesday, October 17, 2007

'Tis the Work of Leviathans

Out of the quotidian
depths of days undone,
of mountainous terrain
upon the silent weekend
desk, forlorn of effort
and doomed to never ending,
sudden sickness on Monday
morning,

out of the sussurant
obscurity of the midday
snack that becomes a long
lunch, the long dreaming
of the tropics from atop
the porcelain bowl,

out of the
chiseled hour and the
fudged time sheet, the
blown deadline and the
artfully crafted excuse,

out of the somnolent
wilting, unseen within
the cubicle as hours
pass with head on
arm and eye fast roving
behind the closed lid,

out of the
hours spent down the
rabbit holes of the
internet and all that
weedy learning to be
had at the price of
a careless moment,

out of the
milked clock of late
evening when the day
stands mute at its own
yawning lack of import,

I call you, these old
and hardy workmen, eating
their lunch upon the
high steel girders,
hands roughened and colored
the rust of their work,
eyes wrinkled from
squinting against
the glare, skin a
hard, dark shell of
incipient cancers
against the early sun,
but sure, so very sure
and easy in the mind
that, yes, they would
point to tasks done,
tangible results as
the work bell sounded
and they moved off,
riding the twilight
home.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds as if library life is on your nerves a bit there, sir!

Dr Thunder said...

There are, indeed, times when we all need "tangible results" to help us verify that our existence means something. A good, thoughtful piece of work. Fortunately for you, you have your writing to help you bypass the mundane routines found in your daily job.

Anonymous said...

A 2:24PM post on a weekday? Shame all over you Patrick. Where is that protestant work ethic?

Unfortunately, work is rarely meaningful or interesting. Yor lucky to have a better imagination the most of us:

"the long dreaming
of the tropics from atop
the porcelain bowl"

That's beauteous. I'll be trying that one out tomorrow.

S.L. Corsua said...

Quite a contrast of two worlds, of different job descriptions... and perks. ^_^

I've certainly enjoyed the 'silent-film' portrayal or effect of the first six stanzas (like six scenes of Act I of a stage play, with the appropriate 'fade to black' in between scenes, then moving on to a different set for Act II featuring the contrasting image in the last stanza and this time, rich with sound and a vibrant backdrop).

Patrick M. Tracy said...

Rachel,

Well, it had been a hard day. I tapped a bit of the dissatisfaction inherent in the whole idea of work that doesn't "create anything".

Doc,

If what you're doing doesn't seen to lead anywhere, it can be very disheartening. I'm just the commentator to this phenomenon.

Swiftboat,

I have a pagan play ethic...does that count? Or, perhaps, it's what the therapists call "inner directed behavior".

I consider being bored to be a failure of imagination, though some days at work sorely test us all.

As to thundermug ruminations, I wholeheartedly endorse them.

Soulless,

I think that, in this day and age, we grasp for something that is tangible, when so much of our efforts are directed at abstract and even obsucure goals. I think that's the basis for the inherant shift in tone.

Thanks, everyone, for coming by.

Anonymous said...

Yes! I think we should all sharpen our "pagan play ethic". I've got the pagen part down cold. But the play part still needs some work.

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