Summary

The poem "Automatons in a Suite of Machines" reflects on the monotonous and oppressive environment of a modern workplace, likening employees to caged animals and highlighting the disconnect between the workers and the management.

Abstract

The poem presents a critical view of the contemporary workplace, where employees are confined within a deceptively comfortable yet stifling environment. It portrays a scene of people engaging in repetitive and meaningless tasks, surrounded by artificial conversations and a lack of genuine connection. The workers are compared to automatons, expected to comply with the demands of their superiors, who are depicted as self-indulgent and indifferent to the workers' plight. The poem conveys a sense of entrapment and a longing for an end to the monotonous and dehumanizing conditions of work.

Opinions

The author perceives the workplace as a form of prison, albeit one that is disguised as a safe and spacious environment.
There is a clear disdain for the management, described as "fat feline gobshites," who are seen as exploitative and self-serving.
The workers are depicted as being numbed by the work environment, with their creativity and individuality suppressed.
The poem suggests that the workers' presence and compliance are solely driven by the need for basic survival, such as rent and sustenance.
There is an underlying call for change, as the author expresses a desire to alter the current state of the world, which is seen as broken due to centuries of exploitation by "hetero-patriarchs."
The author's frustration with the current system is palpable, culminating in an emotional plea to "Make this hell STOP!"

Automatons in a Suite of Machines

A free verse poem.

Distanced yet too close

Whispers behind masks

Laughs at inanity

Talks of family over and over

Ward off gossip

Shut ears

Close heart

Numb brain

Here we go again.

Masters offer welfare chats

I sit, a silent rabbit in a cage

Or a chicken, a battery one

Deceptive, it’s a spacious prison

Where higher-ups protect us

Not from tedium or despair

As we sit and do nought but stare

Rent and sustenance demand our

Presence and compliance

While fat feline gobshites

Waste cream their pals lap up

Gobbets skimmed from hope,

Decency and care and automatons

Who wait to help those with fear.

Make this hell STOP!

Karen Madej is an English language coach and writer. She’d very much like to change the way the world works because it is broken after centuries of being plundered by hetero-patriarchs.