Guest Poet: American Workers Become More Productive

Another poetic gem from TMV’s favorite poet, Michael Silverstein, aka Wall Street Poet.

America’s workers are now the world’s most productive. That’s great news. Or is it?

America’s Workers Become More Productive

Economists find,
Daily toil seductive.
They give it a name,
They call it ‘productive.”
They say that so great are the national stakes,
We must all labor harder, whatever it takes.

We’re told this approach makes all of us richer,
But on this key point, I really must differ.
What economists find so clearly convincing,
Gets me kind of nervous, in fact, has me wincing.

Productivity seen from under the hood,
Where the work’s really done, ain’t always that good.
Ask yourself what you get, working longer and harder,
A marketplace hero or marketplace martyr?

It’s balance we need here, not talking head blather,
To see what’s important, what things really matter.
Are world markets now with their fierce competiton
Just sinister games of human attrition?

Copyright 2007 Michael Silverstein