The Morning Round

"ERROR CODE 072" -
8 is shouting at me
over and over

I tend to its wounds
switching it on and off,
which seems to reassure it

Having soothed its pain
I feed the beast
another two reams of paper
bleached dazzingly white
and un-recycled

An apparent paper tray misfeed
is just another cunning attempt
to gain my attention
by these aging dinosaurs
of photographic reproduction

Wandering around in an early morning stupor
the machines talk to me in whirrs and clicks
and sometimes groans and squeals of pain
their displeasure displayed on bright green LEDs

they are alive and I am comatose, braindead
running on automatic pilot.

After all, it is Monday morning.