I go forth with my head held high, undaunted, hopeful.
I build myself, my esteem, my golden nest egg.
I build my knowledge and invest my soul.
I sacrifice time that otherwise would be spent with family.
All is calm and steady, a solid foundation;
But promises made are never kept: "Not a {take-over}...
A [merger]" they softly whisper. The promises change....
Or they are broken altogether, with some pittance for
All the time and effort spent dedicated to [The Company].
Pensions are killed; severance is {packaged} so neatly
As to make one wonder if it wasn't planned long ago.
"Loyalty to [The Company]" were the watchwords...
"We'll take care of you" was the promise. "Don't worry..."
But in the boardrooms where they worry more about golf
Than the dedicated employees who have made them what they are,
They heartily laugh as they make decisions that affect
The very lives of thousands of people who trust them;
And we find that, all along, the thing that mattered;
The goal of it all was...: "the {bottom line}". So here we stand
In the unemployment line; fallout from the ^Concrete Illusion^.

Copyright ©1996 - 2003 Jeff Mason