“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.”
― Edward Abbey, The Journey Home: Some Words in Defense of the American West
Factory Number 413
Everyone knows my name, face, and products.
I appear on screens across the world.
Wealth and I speak a coded language,
encrypted inside green and silver.
Luxury touches every corner of my existence.
I touch no one. Distance keeps profit safe.
Then, for fun, I bet an associate, “If I walk
through Factory Number 413 and someone
recognizes me, another layoff is possible.
The workers are not watching what they are doing.”
I wore silencing earmuffs.
One of the older men stepped
away from his post and
almost ran into me.
“Geesh, do you know who that is?”
another man called. His voice
pierced through the noise.
“Quiet, Jake ain’t with it right now.
His son was laid off the last time around.
He couldn’t feed eight kids
no more. His baby died last week.”
I finished my check without adequate
detail. I will send someone from my staff
for the next inspection. Workers need to watch
where they are going.
terrypetersen 