Productivity at work
The delete button is my enemy
he chews away at my phrases
and laughs as he swallows my words
My pinky is drawn to him
they do a silly dance
tapping away, my thumb fights with the space bar
trying to regain some ground
I’m caught here on this blank page
in two-dimensional space
as if I’ve been steamrolled
my nose pressed back against my cheek
lips curled inwards
a cartoon, a beast
My thoughts are fragile as butterfly wings
connected by spiders’ webs
they catch and stick together in a jumbled mess
I peel them apart like clothes from my skin after a rain storm
Happiness eludes me, though I chase her tirelessly
She flies through the window in the morning
and out the door before I’ve brushed my teeth
She is the reflection who sits with me as I ride the train to work
Pale, transparent
There and yet not
Me and yet someone else
Overcaffeinated salesmen surround me
typing furiously on their keyboards
yelling into their cellphones
My delete button calls to my pinky
Another afternoon is wasted