ENERGY VACUUM

a late night
video making
fortunately a late start too
alone in the house
i put on remnants
turning it up nice n loud
the soundtrack to the morning shower
i was working on this track exactly a year ago
the song was a milestone
it took no prisoners - musically or lyrically
it was the heaviest thing i had ever recorded
an abrasive and ominous backing track of saturated multitracked guitars
energised by a sinuous overdriven lead riff
and an emotionally charged no-holds-barred vocal performance
captured on the very first take
a few rotations of this track
and i am nicely set up for my journey to the factory
it is a cold damp affair pedalling through sheets of heavy drizzle
yet energising nonetheless
twenty minutes later
i arrive sodden and dripping at the factory
where like the droplets of rain on my waterproofs
the energy quickly evaporates
the barbed comments
the listening walls
the omnipresent flicker of computer monitors
all suck up my energy
corridors and staircases that echo with an empty silence
somewhere far away
behind blank fire doors
staff are tap tap tapping at their keyboards
i doubt if i will see most of them today
the massed ranks of automobiles assembled outside in the carpark
are the only betrayal of human presence
waves of alienation and disconnection batter me
as the reality of high-tech wage slavery kicks in
a subtle bludgeoning over the head
with a very blunt instrument
does nobody else feel this way?