The One Who Owns The City
Location
after many tear stained prayers
and emotionally-provocative meetings where the sweet-tempered secretary
had to step in to prevent a decimation,
long after our entrepreneurs’ first risk,
he could gaze out the glass-tower’s windows
upon The City.
his hours of labor
his carefully planted flattery
his kindly donations and weekend conference calls,
all resulted in the procurement of CEO
those 3 letters that filled his heart, completed
his self-esteem, boosted his professional pride
the level-39 allowed a broad view of
Nashville where
even the murky river was in sight, swelled with
melted-snow and the sun did not shine through
his scraper to pierce his eyes
and ruin his view.
A content, nirvanic look swept across his features
his eyes closed on the piqued view,
his thoughts meandered to and fro
he recalled the wrong-side-of-town-bar where it had all begun,
over shots of vodka and a game of pool
he mentally backtracked to the long table, at which
he’d attended countless meetings, pitched
countless sales, hounded countless investors
he reminisced on the first presentation he’d
conducted, and after, how his boss had held him
up for a half hour, as he stood listening to an in-depth
assessment of the plans, the big plans, the dreams, the future
that his boss saw for the company.
Ah…the company…the Company
around a table
in a normal diner
three men, brothers,
discuss
debate
complaints
sprout frequently
no question penetrates because
all statements
consist only of detached opinions
in the world of business
you cannot tread too carefully
and you cannot try hard enough
to not offend anyone
who might come into contact with
your product.
several women
perch, drinks in hand,
smiles plastered
they share openly
of goings-on.
children flit through the conversation
new purchases bragged of
job stress is a common topic
but not their job stress,
no,
they haven’t held a job in decades,
no,
it’s that of their husbands,
their Company husbands whose job stress
soaks through their skin and suits
and infects the marriage
and the house
and the family
and the life that they always talk of living
but can never seem to live
this all the women share.
no marriage hardship dares to surface
and that death of the long-term family member
is a secret for closed doors
the rebellious child remains a discarded topic,
for he failed the family ambitions,
he deserves no prayer
and he already shamed his Company father.
no member of this family,
this Company,
dares to challenge his brother
out of the conventionality
or to break the chain of command
where orders are barked incessantly
and blame is smeared on the lowest workers first
all the Company men are trapped
contained in their surface world.
all problems, issues
forever fated to be suppressed.
this is the Company
that crosses his newly-promoted mind
and a brief, very brief, grimace hovers
but the phone rings
and the moment carries itself
far from the buzz
down the river of innovation