pep talk
she told me
people have more fun in factories;
they’re not so stuck up,
everyone knows their place,
knows they’re at the bottom,
knows they have little,
but deserves so much less,
not like those office types
and teacher types
and all the rest who don’t come home
smelling like chemicals,
covered in dirt and dust,
bleary-eyed and just
wanting it to be over.
she told me
people in factories,
they know they’re replaceable,
they know no one really cares,
that they’re merely numbers,
ants,
cannon fodder.
she told me
that’s what life is,
and that’s where i belonged.
About the Author: James Benger is the author of several books of poetry and prose. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Writers Place, and the Riverfront Readings Committee, and is the founder of the 365 Poems in 365 Days online workshop. He lives in Kansas City with his wife and children.
Image Credit: Heinrich Hoerle: Fabrikarbeiterin (Factory worker) (1926) Public domain image courtesy of Artvee
As It Ought To Be 