Patiently waiting
Five more floors
Taking some papers upstairs to accounting
Just a temp, no one pays me
Any regard
Severe, strict speechmaker to my
Left, stiffly starched accountant to my
Right, assistant to the financial officer going over figures that are
Wrong
Four more floors
The speechwriter leaves
A new man gets on; he’s going straight to the top
Believing his path is
Right, but his methods are all
Wrong
Three more floors
Financial assistant pushed past me,
And out the door
Just a temp, he pays me no regard
The secretary steps in
Everyone knows where her overtime consists of
Sharp heels press my toes, I hiss
She pays me no regard, I’m just a temp
Go-getter and secretary chat like I’m not here
Accountant, too absorbed in company money
Money he doesn’t have
Money he can never seem to get enough of
Two more floors
The elevator empties
No one gets on
Accountant will realize later he got off too soon
I shuffle my pages
I’m just a temp, no one pays me regard
But these people, everyone
They’re dying inside
I smile, the temp, I can get out alive.
