the bagel boy

there's this sad little saying i've picked up on in the work-culture. it goes something like, "time sure couldn't go by fast enough for me today." there are lots of people involved in the behind-the-scenes coffee shop business. people i never would have expected to run into, for example, there's the lady that comes by to make sure we get our Gazettes every day, then there's the USA Today man, and the bagel boy, of course the milkman and the repairman, but the most interesting to me is the towel-man. he comes by once a week to take our dirty towels and give us new clean ones and sometimes he takes the rugs as well. the other day as i was washing dishes the towel man was there doing his thing so i tried to make conversation. and all he really had to say about his day was, "well, it's been pretty good, the time's gone by fast, haven't really noticed it passing." man, and i hear that so often from coworkers. but i don't understand what you do when the day is done and well, the time has just passed and now it's gone. and then what? to what end should time be going by? what have we accomplished, when at the end of the day all we can say is, "it is no more."

may i not gaze at my watch today
may i not let life go unnoticed
may i not continue on unaware
open my eyes
brush my fingertips
whisper in my ears
help me to keep myself awake
so i might suck the marrow out of life