summer

I hate the ringing of the telephone
insistent shrill intrusion.

And then there isn't even a voice
on the other end.

Maybe I should quit my job.
Feeling anxiety even while on vacation,
trying to accomplish unpleasant tasks
which have been piling up unfinished
while working the job.

Summer vacation,
My summer vacation,
Where is my summer vacation?

The adult slave.

But maybe the job is the only thing
that keeps me numb.
That keeps me too busy, too tired
to care,
to despair.

Maybe it's why
I feel like everything is falling apart;
that everything will fall apart
if I don't get things done.

Slaving away to keep
the unimpressive status quo.