I woke up late this morning, forgot to set the clock.
No time for healthy breakfast: fast food coffee, paper cup.

Take the ramp onto the freeway, wait in line, one car per green,
My car can drive itself by now: different day, same routine.

Cursing other drivers, more incompetent than I.
Incessant talk show whiners, only adding to the fire.

Now someone's in my parking spot, that new guy up in sales.
I've never really met him, they say he's tough as nails.

Elevator reverence, more solemn here than church.
Unwilling actors pantomime, "the silence of the jerks."

The receptionist looks up and smiles, she's been here from the start.
Overworked and underpaid, dedicated, bless her heart.

Her husband died 5 years ago, it hit her really hard.
I'd planned on doing something nice...at least I'd signed the card.

Scanning through my email, wading through the spam.
I've asked him to remove me, yet here's another joke from Sam.

He must not have a social life, he hasn't many friends.
The highlight of his day occurs, it seems when he hits "send".

At 10 o'clock a phone call, I try to close the deal.
Another faceless client, a scripted sales appeal.

I almost miss the old days, the face to face approach.
Now I deal with people, long distance, coast to coast.

I never get to know their personalities, their quirks.
On second thought it's bad enough, the problems here at work.

My boss is never happy, always pushing without stop.
Co-workers playing leap-frog, fighting, clawing to the top.

Politics of office, each one drawn into the game.
We say we're here for lofty goals, instead our primal aim,

Seems to be the income, Pavlov's pellets paid bi-weekly.
Forcing us to socialize with, other people quite uniquely.

Unnatural interactions, the intersecting of our lives.
Unchosen integration, between the hours: 8 to 5.

But think how stagnant life would be, how predictable and stale,
If we limited our lives to, carbon copies of ourselves.

The spice of life that gives it meaning, the chance for it to grow.
Watch as iron sharpens iron, getting better blow-by-blow.

As I think of what my life's become, what's made it so complete,
Are the many different people, that I would not choose to meet.