The Man At The Keyboard (after Charles Bukowski)

The man at the keyboard
writes a program he didn't design
in a language he didn't invent
for customers who do not know
how it works. And when he has finished
that one, he writes another one
he didn't design in another language
he didn't invent and deploys it to people
who do not care how it works
and do not notice that someone
created the program in a language no-one has ever heard
according to plans written by a team
in another part of the world or building.

Then the man at the keyboard
decides to take a break,
he doesn't renew his contract
and decides to travel round the world
where they speak a language he doesn't know
and live in buildings he didn't invent,
he just pays his rent
and smokes a joint
and none of his users notice
he isn't there, they
just keep clicking buttons
and everything continues to work
until it doesn't.

And this is the same thing everywhere,
for everyone, all of the time,

(unless the system goes down)