So in the end, it amounted to nothing. For when all was said
and done, effort, dedication, accomplishments were all for naught. All that
there is, is. There is no before, only this moment.
In the quite electronic green hum of the fluorescences her
voice arrived as a cold sharp shiv stuck thru the back of the neck. “Good morning x, your assignment has been
reallocated”. Her voice was different now. Over the long drawn out “Lean”
season, it had changed. It’s tenure, it’s sharpness. When before, her
personable approach only slightly vailed an underlying coldness. A coldness that
had playfully enjoyed evil. Now, there is no vail, officially cold and strictly
authoritative. No emotion, no connection, no humanistic qualities. Grey
corporate dogma slithered out of bright red lips in a new ultra sexualized
redux. Tummy tuck here, face lift there. Mother was gone. Her new title, M.
Governess, as in line with the Lean methodology, quickly became shortened to the
fashionable “Madam”. What is irony, but something that no longer could be afforded. Every morning the hoards would all line up,
zombies, wherpeople, vamps, humans, trolls. Madam would lead us in reciting of
our mission statement and values. Then we would march in corporate line to our
assignments. There to labor, recording every 15 minute interval for the
productivity matrix and to await Madam to call the numbers. Those who numbers were
called, were never to be seen again. For numbers have no importance. Numbers
are but arbitrarily imposed segregation and have no bearing on efficiency. And
daily the corporate pace intensified, burning on new fuel in some far-off unseen
mysterious furnace. “Good morning Madam, how can I help you today” I responded
in a false cheery vibrato. “x, in
alignment with the Enhancement and Employee Recognition Initiative, 62% of your
resources will need to be dedicated to collaboration with the Mid County
Empowerment Collective”. “But Madam”, I responded, “Mid County Empowerment
Collective is not on our network and forty miles across the state. Presently I
am required to dedicate 32% of my energies to Strategic Management, 75% of them
to the Intrinsic Knowledge Group and 22% to the Learning Collaboration and
Development Organization.” “Yes x, the
Mid County Empowerment Collective is part of our corporate structure and your
resources will efficiently engage and enhance Empowerment with Intrinsic
Knowledge, Learning and Development. Are there any other questions?” Madam
responded. “Yes, Madam”, inquisitively I probed, “where will I be stationed and
who do I now report to?” “x”, Madam responded
with that authoritative bureaucratic arrogance, “you will continue to remain on South Campus, when not required to be at
MCEC. There within the Inner Circles of Hell, reporting to M.Dante as a class 5
Sub Administrator Pre-Director. Nothing has changed.”
And the days past on. Faint remembrance of time remands and
I don’t recall the smell of fresh air, the color of the sky or the touch of the
sun. Welcome to today. Lean, efficient, engaged, empowered, and full of
satisfaction and happiness. So I am told, so it is.
