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Help Desk Prison
by
Michelle True
Help desk work is a prison
from which there is no escape.
Physical punishment takes the form
of being forced to sit at our desk all day
except for coffee, bathroom and lunch breaks.
The long cords attaching our headsets
to our telephones are shackles
chaining us to our desks.
We are not allowed personal or
phone contact with family or friends
except for emergencies.
We are in solitary confinement
and are not allowed to socialize with
our fellow inmates.
Our only connection to each other
and the outside world is via email
or instant online messenger.
We can congregate, briefly, with other
inmates outside in the yard during
specified breaks during the day.
Our guards walk up and down the corridor
of our cubicle cells making sure we are in
compliance with all the rules.
Should we do something wrong,
we are taken to see the warden,
who doles out punishment
befitting the crime.
Our only chance for escape
is a better economy and
a better job market.
We will then, finally, be free
to pursue a better job, a less demanding,
demeaning prison in which to
serve our sentence.
copyright 2003 by Michelle True
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