Shipping Orientation with Mike   by Daniel Worden

"It’s pretty easy;

anybody can do it.

You just take a box,

look at its number,

and put it on the pallette

that matches that number.

Huh, easy, ain’t it?

"When the pallette’s full,

you move it out, wrap it up,

put it on the truck.

That’s pretty much all

that we do here; oh, you get

two fifteen minute breaks

and a lunch.

"You’ll get paid Fridays.

The check’s never enough,

but another one’s

always on the way.

You, you college kid,

you won’t mind...

You guys come every summer,

move a few boxes,

and leave in August,

back to your classes.

They’ll never teach

you what you’ll learn

right here.

Never teach you

about real work.

No sir.

We keep liftin’,

all year round.

"This job’ll convince you

to stay in school forever,

I know I wish I could,

but I’m old.

My back aches at night,

my feet are always blistered,

and I can barely afford

my cigarettes with

what they pay us here.

Hell, I could’ve gone

to school twenty years

back, but there’s no

paychecks coming at you

when you’re in school,

that’s for sure.

But let’s get workin’.

Store 31 needs a truck

by tonight.

"And hey, college kid,

don’t work too fast

or too hard,

cause there ain’t no gettin’ ahead in shipping.

There ain’t no gettin’ ahead."