Factory

Joe Strickland 1986 (Hobbysville, SC)



The factories churn out endless days
That waste away without much meaning
Bosses and idiots watch the clock
As workers toil in slow brutality
Their lives reduced to mere production
In this never-ending cycle of waste

The air is filled with smoke, a toxic waste
As machines hum and whirr through the days
And endless products reel off the production
Line, each one devoid of any real meaning
Only serving to perpetuate the brutality
Of these soul-sucking, time-stealing factories

The workers shuffle in, each day just a waste
As they're ground down by the never-ending brutality
Of the machines and the bosses who punch the clock
And watch them toiling through the meaningless days
Each moment sapping away at their meaning
And leaving them feeling lost in the midst of production

There's no escaping this endless production
The workers tied to their stations, another day wasted
Feeling like cogs in a machine, drained of all meaning
As the bosses demand more and more without any humanity
It all grinds on in a slow-motion brutality
Marked only by the steady ticks of the clock

The clock, a relentless reminder of the production
That grinds away at their lives with unceasing brutality
Forcing them to endure the endless days
Without any hope of breaking free from this waste
And reclaiming their lives' true meaning

But maybe there's some meaning in this waste
If we listen to the hum of the machines and the clock
And examine the brutality that underpins production
For in the midst of all this meaningless toil and endless days
There are lessons we can learn from this factory waste

Can break free from this slow brutality,
And find meaning in the endless production that grinds away the days?
Even in the waste of the factories, there is still hope on the clock. 
Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Written on May 17, 2023

Submitted by JoeStrickland on May 17, 2023

Modified by JoeStrickland on June 08, 2023

1:34 min read
7

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCDEF FAEBDX FDCABE EXBDDC EDAFB FCEAF DAC
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 1,775
Words 313
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6, 5, 5, 3

Joe Strickland

I'm just a regular, blue collar, working stiff who took an interest in writing poetry many years ago but until recently I haven't had a desire to share any with anyone or pursue publication. I'm an unpublished fork lift operator by night, and a day drinker by choice. I can be followed on Twitter @JoeStricklandSC more…

All Joe Strickland poems | Joe Strickland Books

15 fans

Discuss the poem Factory with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Factory" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/159623/factory>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    2
    hours
    58
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    How many syllables an Iambic Pentameter line must have?
    A 12
    B 10
    C 20
    D 3