Nine to Five – A Poem

Here’s a poem I wrote in May of 1980. At the time I was working as an Administrative Assistant and bemoaning the drudgery of corporate life I was dealing with at the time, which is quite clear from the poem that came out of me that day. Maybe you’ve had these same feelings at your job.

Often I sit and contemplate my inevitable demise
And wonder if my stable life is truly smart and wise
Sitting at a desk from early, till often very late
Undoubtedly a common, but nonetheless ill fate.

The papers arrive upon my desk as the day begins
Secretaries gossip of the previous weekend’s sins
I shuffle and I shuffle, but the paperwork seems to grow
Then the clock shows noon, and I decide to go.

I push into the elevator, packed like canned sardines
And eavesdrop on a couple discussing what EST really means
Arriving at the restaurant, I find that there’s a wait
Once again I question my nine to five work fate.

After gobbling down my lunch, I hurry back to my job
Once again pushing through the now fed office mob
The papers are still there, in even greater number
I sit down and resume my nine to five work slumber.

Cranking out all the work one man can possibly do
I finally look up from my desk and notice it’s only two
Only three more hours of this with which I must contend
Eventually the clock shows five, another day’s work end.

An hour later I arrive at home, and start to watch TV
Wishing that the character there would switch his place with me
I begin to fall asleep, but awake suddenly startled when
I realize that tomorrow, I’ve got to do it all again.