Thinking About Work

i had a thought today you did did you really you had a thought to day what
was it about. i don't know don't ask me about it it just came and then it went. i
was at work today so i didn't have time to listen to it or look at it but i noticed
it came by. it just came by and i had it or it had me but briefly.

language lingers lavishly over the file cabinet. i would like to hang a word
blown up to 20x40 over the back of my desk or somewhere. what word would it
be? WORK it would be WORK i suppose or WANT or WONDER or HELP I'M
DROWNING IN A SEA OF DIGITS / WORDS / ELECTRONIC MARKS.
drowning is a figure of speech. a figure 8. metonymy. (metronome)

working man work-a-day work-a-day world working woman workhorse work
house working class work for a living work work work work work work work
wok work work work good work work hard work it out working out work some
more working well does it work how does it work is it working workload case-
load briefcase law dictionary works well with others works well under pressure
cooker cook file clerk typist street cleaner body shop repair person manual la-
borer labor laborious glorious lugubrious work for wages worked to death work-
ing girl boy wonder effort exerted to do or make something labor toil spoil the
rod men at work work crew employment at a job out of work unemployed working
stiff stuff staff occupation profession business trade working girl something one
is making or doing task tisket/tasket disked/ticket/thickset/thistle/diskette/
tipster/thinker/thirst/tasked/thanked/tapster)basket-weaving handi-
work something made or done an act deed good works what the road to hell is
paved with engineering structures a place where work is done as a factory
worksite jobsite go to work on my way to work workmanship workwomanship
(no alternative found) ship of fools at sea wrought what has god done lately
seen any good work lately read any good books lately to do work labor toil to be
employed to function or operate does it work can you work it i can work it i'll
show you how it works how she works how i work see me work i am woman see
me work to ferment to move proceed slowly and with difficulty work your way
through to come or become as by repeated movement to work loose
job but with a capital it's Job who got a lot of shit (chit/sit/shot/shut/site/
situ/swift) and sores and stuff and so do we we work hard and get a lot of shit
chit/sit/shot/shut/site/situ/swift) for it it's not good enough too many typos or
too slow or too something or not something enough but it's a job it's a living it
puts food on the table it pays the rent digging ditches wearing britches screw
the bitches plant a birch tree go to work do your job keep your mouth shut if you
can drink water if you can't and never mind just do what you're told do what
she says do what he says do what the boss says who's the boss i'm the boss he's
the boss she's the boss you're very bossy what a loss he's the boss do your job

i had a thought today you did did you really you had a thought to day what
was it about it just came and then it went. i was at work today so i didn't have
time to listen to it or look at it but i noticed it came by. it just came by and i had
it or it had me but briefly.


read the author's Working Notes

go to this issue's table of contents