the corporate world is not my home

 The Corporate World

the corporate world can be awfully draining

at times.

being greeted with a “how are you?”,

whilst the same person that asked walks into another room,

relatively uninterested in receiving a meaningful response.

“fine, thanks for asking”,

you respond to their back as it moves further away.

or how about the chairs we are required to sit in

all day.

they know the expression of my restlessness deeply;

these stoic office chairs don’t cater to freedom very well.

the window catches a lot of wistful looks,

I imagine we all pine to be on the other side of it. 

the quiet clock, 

the wirring computer, 

someone entering the room, only to exit a few minutes later;

all natural sounds from the interior of the corporate world.

emails encase our communication,

email etiquette encapsulates our language: 

Kind regards,

Ngā mihi,

Yours truly.

neatly signed off with a professional and impersonal bow.

i struggle to see our humanity in this;

for it hides behind a uniform veneer.

we adults just live inside a professional world we’ve constructed,

and one day we will welcome our children into the corporate world.

let’s be sure to remind them,

this may be their career

but it’s not their whole life.

i savour the drives home from work,

where i take my hair out of its hold,

and lean back into the nostalgic embrace 

of both the carseat and comfort.

i wriggle into them both and make myself at home.

i savour the long hugs with my sweet,

and listening to him sing in lonely museum rooms.

sharing meaningful conversations in the kitchen.

wearing sweatpants at home,

and practicing volleyball in the park.

i savour the days where i have nowhere i need to be;

the days where i create my own rhythms

with the people i enjoy.

the ones where we can all lie out in the sun,

and be teased by the breeze;

this is the world i savour.