The Master Initializer has gone missing -
The office staff is up-armed, up-armed,
for this impotentizes the vast network
of departmental copy cards
and by extension We
of the many delivered copies
No copies may be made today,
so bar the doors and we
are hanging among ourselves and
no copies may be made today
so bless the desk
so bless the desk we sit behind
and sit behind and sit behind
and sit
The Master Initializer has gone missing -
and with it went our aim
and with it went our Name
and with it went our linearity
and that's a shame We circle up
as we are running out of toner, too, and fading
waiting We stare into the Blank
of Sorry and Tomorrow Maybe
A line of ghosts is moving freely beyond the windows
May the scream saver bloom for us!
The Master Initializer has gone missing -
The necessary implementation is days withheld,
leaving us to sit and recollect ourselves.
Now who was the last to touch it?
A circling around a circle round around
Within the rink of lack enumerate
the possibilities with questions:
Have you seen have you have you touched
have you have tasted you have you the card
have you Do you hear it do you do here you
hear do you charge do you lost you again Do
you hear it do you where?
That I may find it, copy me,
Copy me a memory.
The Master Initializer has gone missing -
We must now replace it. I have gone to phone
McKey's machine in hope and phone in hope
machine and phone and hope again - McKey!
Disincorporated savior, return a call to me!
The Deer Park cooler is almost empty;
we sit with a heavy, irreplicable thirst.
Now hold me here this hand
and tell us what you feel.
say eight hours long
say eight hours long
say eight hours long
say eight hours long
say eight hours long
say eight hours long
say eight hours long
say eight hours long
say eight hours long
say eight hours long
say eight hours long
say eight hours long
say eight hours long
say eight hours long
say eight hours long
say eight hours long
say eight hours long
say eight hours long
say eight hours long
say eight hours long
say eight hours long
say eight hours long
When I think of you I automatically sing:
Permeated - holy babble ghosts - song,
Back against a window-wall - song,
Necessary card McKey so well beyond me
song - song.
The Master Initializer has gone missing -
Another will tomorrow arrive
in the morning mail, according
to the faxed and written word.
Tomorrow the wheels of our chairs
are running, and we are in them, relined.
But, still today our hands
o'er mouths are spread
upon our desks.
It is 4:30 and I am leaving.
It is 4:45 and I am gone.
It is 5:00 and I am leaving.
I am leaving your meaning behind.
Accourding to Mytili Jagannathan
Date: Fri, 12 Feb 1999 17:47:11 -0500 (EST)
From: mytilij@dept.english.upenn.edu (Mytili Jagannathan)
Shawn,
I love your poem "The Master Initializer." Reminds me of my time working
in an office producing marketing proposals and our cycles of almost
celebratory copier panic.
I especially like the section after the "eight hours long" litany--your
"holy babble ghosts" and song. Such music! I bet this is a wonderful
poem to read out loud.
-Mytili