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I am
here to clean your corner office
Empty the garbage and polish the mahogany desk
Keep the patterned precious carpet clean
Vacuum around (but never touch) your mirror-polished executive shoes
In your
so-dignified two thousand dollar suit and tie
Your remote, so serious face, your crisp impeccable clothes
Your elite voice and hundred dollar haircut
Your privileged life so very, very far from mine
Come
live with me
I sing my song
A voice so soft you strain to hear
So long,
I have waited five sad longing years
To think of a way to lure and call you out of
Your pinstriped, brief-cased, shiny-shoed fortress
And into
my blue collar world
At last I have found my song to move you
Pull you, take you, drag your mind away from
Your white collar, your comfortable upper class niche
And into my waiting nest
Come
live with me
I sing my song
You didn’t see the melody enter your mind
No
worries: I will show you how, so easy
First,
as I vacuum beneath your desk
For the first time I dare to touch your untouchable shoes
And
before you know is happening
I
oh-so-quickly untie and oh-so-quickly pull off your
Shinier
than a black mirror
Fancy
handmade Italian leather wingtips
And peel
off your black silk business socks
Come
live with me
I sing
my song
Crooning
gently as you stare in shock
Your
rich voice stops me “How dare you!”
You grab
at your socks, reach for your shoes, furious
Humbled
by the sight of your own bare foot
Not a
match for the oh-so-dapper pinstriped suit
“What
are doing! I’ll call security!” you cry
“Are you
insane?! I am an executive and YOU…!”
But
already I have entered your thoughts
With my
coaxing, sweet and subtle voice
Come
live with me
I sing
my song
The
Italian leather wingtips and silk socks fall to the ground
You are
outraged but I sing my song to you,
Whispering, “White collar goodbye”
Soothing
your worries and your cries fade away
“Just
try it – a new door for you to enter”
I hold
your pampered white feet in
My
chapped red hands
White
Collar feet
But not
for long....
Come
live with me
I sing
my song
Your
eyes glaze over, the struggle slows
ONE LAST
TIME I allow you
To brush
your toes against the rich leather
Of your
shoes and touch the designer logo
On your
socks with your smooth soles
Time to
leave your expensive, shining footwear
To cry
for their owner
Gleaming
sentinels under your desk
Vacated
emblems of past success
Come
live with me
I sing
my song
My voice
smothers, kills every thought or doubt
Don't
struggle anymore – don’t!
That’s
right; just stand up on shaky legs and I
Will
take your manicured corporate hand
To lead
you, barefoot, out of your office of wood and glass
Forget
that computer and that cell phone and that MBA
You
reach for your $1500 briefcase but I kick it aside
With
contempt, papers and folders fly in a storm
You
reach for them, but I grab your hand for the first time
Come
live with me
I sing
my song
You
resist – you are angry – and cannot understand
I hold
tight the smooth hands I never dared touch
You
struggle and cry and plead and beg
Forget
your corporate future: just hear my voice calling you
The
soothing song of welcome to your new life
You feel
the soothing flow of my song
Stop
your thoughts and quiet your fears
You
think of your meeting tomorrow until
My song
stops you
Come
live with me
I sing
my song
Your
angry resistance crumbles, falls away
Here,
take the service elevator
For the
very first time as you shudder
Here is
my beat-up 1989 Ford
Just
relax – no, it isn’t that Porsche you drove this morning
We will
take the exit
Into my
blue-collar neighborhood
There is
my trailer, never been here before?
Now step
right out and enter your new home
Come
live with me
I sing
my song
Your
eyes travel around the unaccustomed dirt
You stop
at my door, light in the head
On the
very threshold of my trailer
Your now
dusty bare toes resting on the dirty step
Still in
that beautiful suit and that perfectly dimpled tie
Every
executive hair still in place
Manicured nails, cufflinks gleaming on fresh white cuffs
You look
at me in wonder, whisper
“What am
I doing? Who am I now?”
Come
live with me
I sing
my song
No – no
need to leave – in fact, you won’t
“Never
mind – it’s time to stop thinking” I sing
The
panic leaves your glazing eyes
Just
step right inside to your
New
life, far from the corporate world
Settle
down on my dirty sofa – that’s right!
Now put
your smooth bare feet up
On my
formica table with the crack
I will
dismantle the upper-crust you
I will
start with your monogrammed cufflinks
You look
at me with wide, wondering eyes as
I slide
that Rolex watch off your wrist
I grab
that silk pocket square with a laugh
Come
live with me
I sing
my song
Now my
voice is all you hear
Your
tie! For so long I have waited!
Here -
let me undo the perfectly tied tie
I untie
and slowly pull off that symbol of class warfare
Leave
your neck naked, open, longing for the power lost
You
smell of starch and cologne and tailored wool
Your
eyes wander ‘round the dirty room
You feel
more and more at home
The
million dollar deals fading in your softened mind
Come
live with me
I sing
my song
A spark
of rebellion, but soon you are still
Now the
trophy: the exquisite pinstriped suit
The
tailored jacket with the satin lining
The
trousers with the tailored cuffs
Your
snowy white shirt falls away next
Here are
some overalls and a very dirty wife-beater
Put them
on and get used to them
Keep the
cufflinks
Only to
scratch the smooth soles of your feet
Come
live with me
I sing
my song
Now you
are mine – who’d have thought?
Tomorrow
quit your job
Give
away your stocks and condo, oh! What
Is this
in the hand-stitched pocket of your beautiful suit?
Keys to
your Porsche?
Oh! No -
you won't need those anymore
Shoes?
For you! No, no, no.
Just
some plastic flip-flops when you start work
Washing
dishes at the diner down the street
Come
live with me
I sing
my song
You
drink in my words, eyes blank and smiling
I will
use your tailored suit and shirt and tie
To make
rags to stop the window cracks
And you
can do the dishes, barefoot in my kitchen
While I
am cleaning office floors – but not yours anymore
Here is
a beer, cold and ready
NASCAR
is on so just relax
You
won't need to shave, so no razors for you
Grow a
scruffy beard on that smooth corporate neck
We’ll
put a callus on those smooth corporate hands
And dirt
under those fine corporate nails
And
tattoos on those executive arms
And grow
your corporate hair long and tangled
Come
live with me
I sing
my song
A
flicker of doubt, of independence in your eyes!
My suit!
My cufflinks! My freshly shined shoes!
My job
and my Porsche and my briefcase!
My watch
and my phone! My appointments!
My MBA,
my OFFICE, my LIFE!
The
words bubble and mutter out of your mouth
But I
sing deep and sad, rich and warm
My words
enter your mind and take up root
Your
eyes again cloud over, happy, content
You now
live with me
I sing
my song
I throw
away your wallet
You will
get used to it, I promise
I will
train you to speak a new language
As you
leave behind your privilege and wealth
Far from
your office and your Ivy League diploma and your impeccable grooming
Six
months from now
Belching
and sweating as you wash the dishes in the diner
You
scratch your scraggy beard
Those
Italian leather dress shoes and silk socks just a memory
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