A Cog In The Machine Poem by keith Durante

So come now and gather,
young henchmen you design,
more work with less help,
this 'new' workplace you refine;

ever increasing workload demands,
as hunger stills our steadfast hands,
muscles rip, ligaments tear, fueling despair,
corporate dollar profits increase their share;

children run the streets at dinnertime,
parents bleed and sweat for one more dime,
if only to squeeze one more penny of content,
and pray to God to pay the rent;

herein lies the fate of the poor,
not to expect anything more,
service to the kindly corporate master,
reaps and benefits human disaster;

fear has burdened the worker's brow,
numb to the joy found in the now,
corporate smiles-shimmer and sheen,
oh! to be a Cog in the Machine...