they made the announcement a little after 3—
over the staticy crackily sound system…
we were all to gather at the loading dock
where the big trucks got loaded
and slept the night
and the men who loaded them got loaded—haw haw
where the muscular mostly black men
filled said trucks accompanied by
old rust colored fans blowing hot air cyclones
on frenetically hot summer days and nights
when time seemed to disappear or passed anonymously——
so we all gathered at the river so to speak
where they told us today was our last day
the warehouse of conveyor belts -
large dented metal carts
forklifts and hand jacks
air conditioned rooms of candy
large freezer areas of hamburger boxes
pallets of pizza dough stacked high
sugar and a thousand other things
was closing immediately—-///
all those goods would be moved another time
to a different location
supervisors stood at the exits
to make sure none of us former employees
helped ourselves to anything on the way out
like hershey bar souvenirs
frozen hamburger patties
or jars of Mother Luigi’s spaghetti sauce—-
there were rumors there was some trouble afoot
but this hit like an anvil on the foot
on top of the coyote’s head
I think the term ‘stunned silence’ would be appropriate
the workers were flummoxed, befuddled, gobsmacked
I took some of the little time remaining
to look for my blonde friend to commiserate
but I didn’t see her anywhere
I guess she wasn’t looking for me
but we’d both be looking for jobs
along with a hundred and fifty or so
new members of the newly formed shell-shocked and dumbfounded union
