I am an employee.
I will come in whenever I am told,
stay as late as they demand,
and do whatever they want for as long as I am there.
And if I should ever fail,
I will be replaced immediately with no recourse whatsoever.

I am an employee.
I may stand next to the Company President
and nod knowingly
as all the stockholders look on,
smiling their approval and appreciation upon me.
Or I might spend my days
hiding in the break room,
eating jelly donuts while waiting
for yet another pot of coffee to brew
and the end of the day to arrive,
whichever comes first.
And still I will be
nothing more than an employee.

And if someday
I should conceive and create
an object so brilliant and so fascinating
that all humankind will set aside their differences
and the entire planet will join together in harmony,
it will still remain the property of the corporation,
who may or may not ever give me recognition
for what I have done.
For I will still be
nothing more than an employee.

November 1993