Shadows on Strike

 It was bound to happen,
Sooner or later… I mean, look at the work load.
Come with me, Follow close. Don’t tarry Stand still! Be right here.
Don’t go far. Stretch, way over to here. Geeze you’re in the way, move now.
 
So they struck Yes, on strike.
I’m talking Line walking,
Sign holding,
Ain’t gonna go to work no more,
Strike

And I can’t blame them.
Working day and night yes, even far into the night.
Don’t tell me you didn’t see them at night
Yea it was dark, But they were discernable In the small glow of moon.
Or stars,
Or electronic green lights of the resting computers,
Printers, monitor screens, LED alarm clocks,
All night running television sets,
The hall light....
 
And if you did see them,
Waking, being startled
By their ungainly night shape
You shudder
Before realizing it’s only them
Then hold them in scorn for your own lack
of understanding.
(you know that had to hurt)
 
Even at high noon When you think they weren’t there
For those few moments of break
Just lift a foot, next noon
And look under it,
There they are
Or well, they would be,
If they hadn’t gone on strike…

Don’t tell me you’ve not noticed
The two dimensional world this morning
Everything flat, no shading
No vast vistas into the plains With the mountain’s shadow crawling across it.
No darkness under the forest trees
Put your hand in front of the bulb Look at the wall…
No puppet there, in shape of a dog barking.
Look at the dog, for Pete’s sake! Not even a shadow on her wagging tail!

I’ve no idea where they’ve gotten off to,
Do you?
I do know I want them back. Now!

Do you think they’ll negotiate?
Can we get them to sit at the table?
Work out terms?

Gosh, I wonder what it will be like
To see my shadow, face to face...

They say a picture is worth a thousand words...

So where do they go when a photograph leaves you speechless?