The silence is disrupted by the sounds of heavy forklifts crashing down the aisle way
pallet jacks fully packed to the brim with merchandise of every size
i can smell lacquers, and satins, and burn in sealers wafting from the shop
while all around me move shells of people caught in this trap of cardboard boxes and screaming managers
its a warehouse, where dreams go to lie down into a fitful slumber, and fade away from thought
where we take the job and trudge through the day covered in grease and sweat
the shelves packed with furniture surround us like castle walls, yet keep us locked in instead of protecting us
you can\'t be happy here
only settle
the office girl by my work station is beautiful, and my heart flutters when I see her
she can\'t escape the struggle either
she\'s in the office
in the warehouse
she\'s settled
my partner has been here for years
he\'s 30 looks 40, with a bad back
\"it\'s not all bad\" he tells me
\"be greatful you have a job\"
he goes back to his station, where he\'ll be for the next 12 hours to make the rent
the roaches need to eat
he\'s settled
I strap on my harness and rise myself up onto the forklift, to bring down my next repair
and when I\'m up there, that ever present crowd of \'if onlys\' and \'some days\' toil in the heat of docks
while the drivers outside, semi drunk, open another beer to forget about home for awhile
because the bodega is home
and I\'m with them in this
I\'ve settled