"At My Desk"

(Composed at my desk
on October 21, 2008).

Buzz, the humming lights.
The air conditioner whirls.
Click of the mouse.
Tap of the keys.
Binders snapping shut.

Ring! Ring!
The phone cries out,
Ring! Ring!
It demands.
Another noise, another sound,
Mounting tension
Frazzled banker frowns.

I squeeze my "stress reliever" ball
Like a nurse checking blood pressures rise.
Are these things clinically proven?
I think I might hyperventilate!

Papers everywhere...
My desk looks like a chess board,
Checkered with pages
Awaiting their strategic move
From one pile to the next.

Sipping my soda, I watch the clock,
No ticking or tocking to be heard.
The electronic numbers silently slip by,
As one day spills into the next.