You go away to work for your family
You go away every day
You go away even though it would be simpler to stay
You leave in the morning and return home each night
You curse your commute
You go away from your family for your family
At least that’s what you say
It’s what you have to say
You work harder for your family
You strive harder to get ahead for your family
So you go to work and stay away from your family even more
Giving more and more time, energy and attention
To someone else
You don’t like the stuff you have to do
Even though people may have respect for you
There’s no loyalty there
Just a way to be used
But you’re doing it for your family
Giving more and more time, energy and attention
To things you don’t really care about
Like words on a screen
Like a tool or machine
There’s no loyalty there
Just something to use
While you’re being used
But you’re doing it for your family
At least there are benefits
At least that what the generalists in HR call them
Pre-tax deductions fueling record profits for insurance companies
A 401K that won’t let you invest in insurance companies
A few sick days you hope you never have to use
And your boss looks at you with the evil eye when you do
A couple of weeks of vacation followed by weeks of catching up
Because no one cared about your job while you were gone
But your family wants that time away
And they deserve it
Because of all the days
That you go away to work for your family
There may be more money to spend
But it’s never enough
You may come home at the end of each day
To give a little time to your family
But it’s never enough
But there is less of you for your family
And nothing for you but what you do
When you go to work for your family
When you do get home
The kids are already in bed
Both you and your former lover are all worn out
Too worn out to connect
You talk about chores to be done
Where you have to be
Too worn out to connect more than superficially
What you really want is some time to yourself
Sit in the bathtub and read
Watch something mindless on TV
Listen to some music or just think
Or maybe mix yourself another drink
But the grind begins again in just a few hours
You’ve got to be ready in just a few hours
You have to head out the door in just a few hours
You have no time for your family
You have no time for you
But you’re doing it all for your family
You go to work for your family
But your family doesn’t want you to go away for them
You family wants you to stay for them
Your family wants more of you
Not what you do
For strangers
For money
This is what it really boils down to
What your family really wants is you
But there is none of you left
You have gone away to work for them
We’ve come such a long way from the farm
At least the kids don’t have to do chores
Milking cows, bailing hay, weeding the garden
Cleaning the shit off the eggs
Such menial tasks
We have dishwashers and vacuum cleaning robots now
And homes are just getting smarter
Instead your kids sit around staring and tapping and swiping at screens
Wanting more stuff you work harder to buy
Their reality getting more and more virtual each day
Nature is something they learn from books in school
As an afterthought to what it takes to be cool
Nature is little more than the buzz about climate change
The occasional blizzard, tornado or hurricane
This is human life, new and improved
And it’s a life that is only made possible by you
This is the real product of what you do
When you go away to work for your family
Do we need a new definition of insanity
