Oziversary Post, quote: "The routine, man, the routine'll kill you."
Title: The Routine
Author: lisacali
Prompt: "The routine, man, the routine'll kill you."
Summary: The routine of Oz, as explained by Hill and Poet.
The Routine
The Routine
As explained by Augustus Hill and Poet
“Cambridge Dictionary definition of ‘routine’ is “A usual set of activities or way of doing things.
“Not so bad, right? Families got their routines - kids do their homework after dinner every night; dad goes golfing every Sunday morning; mom screws the pool boy every Tuesday afternoon.
“Cheerleaders got their routines, can get behind that shit just fine.
“So, routine isn’t always a bad thing.
“But here in Oz, I’d have to go with the definition found in Dictionary.com - ‘regular, unvarying, habitual, unimaginative or rote procedure.’
“Yeah, that’s more like it. Habitual, unimaginative, that’s Oz alright. Oh, sometimes McManus tries to shake things up, tries to improve or motivate but, well, fuck we all know how that works out.
“I suppose the routine can be a comfort, especially for the newbies. Gives them something to hang on to, something that becomes familiar. Kind of like school, amiright? The bells tell us what to do - when to start your day, when to end. When to sit down, get up, stay here, go there, time to work, time to eat, time to play…”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa… Hold on there, Ironside. Let me tell you about it.”
“You want time in the box, Poet? Take it. I’ma go get me some me extra sack time.”
“Now, what was he saying? Play? We ain’t got no play. Recess, where? Ain’t no recess here.
Maybe you count Miss Sally, watchin’ them tits smother Nooter and Pecky.
But them tits ain’t for you, your pecker is neutered.
“You can get tits another way, if you can pay…
Them firm white tits go up your nose, relieve you of your woes.
A minute or two of the routine is forgotten, until it fades away and you realize there is no stopping
The relentless grind of the everyday.
There is no way.
Unless you use it to escape forever, don’t come down off it ever.
Some break the routine by heading to the ether…
Heaven, or more likely Hell.
“Some get mad, be like attack, let it out.
Let the rage fuel the fight against the frustration, the emasculation.
Sucker punch for a name called is for the hopelessness.
Shiv to a nigger ‘cuz he stepped on your foot is for the helplessness.
Start a riot over a game of checkers to chase the boredom.
“Time in the hole at least is a change.
“The hole is good for a minute, let your mind settle, give it time to clear.
But the routine out there don’t have nothin’ on this in here.
Only so many steps you can take.
Only so many distractions you can make.
Only so much posing and posturing you can fake
for the guards so they don’t see you break.
Eat your breakfast, eat your lunch, eat your dinner -
Feel like a winner if the guards deem you fit
To give you all three servings of what passes for food in this pit.
“Get your bucket, take a piss, take a shit.
Rinse, repeat.
Only you don’t rinse, you don’t wash, you don’t bathe…
You a slave…
To society, to the system, to the warden, to the hacks.
A trickle down system that feels the lack…
“Passing it forward.
“Back in the population is like freedom.
You walk around feeling like you can win it,
But it only lasts a minute.
Then you got to take it, try to fake it so you can make it.
“Another day, another night, another day, another night,
Whether you run or you fight, you know it ain’t right.
You never see the light. You’re like a rat in a cage.
On your wheel, going nowhere, swallowing your rage.
“Them bells, them bells, hear them in your sleep.
Like school? Fuck no. These bells are here to keep
You in your place.
Stay here, go there, go nowhere fast.
Work now, eat later, see if you can last.
“You can avoid the fists, the shanks, the tits
Until you think you got it.
You can avoid the crazy, the boredom
Make it through another day
Get back to your cot to pray.
And wonder will you…
Make it through the night.
But eventually…
“The routine, man, the routine’ll kill you.”
Author: lisacali
Prompt: "The routine, man, the routine'll kill you."
Summary: The routine of Oz, as explained by Hill and Poet.
The Routine
The Routine
As explained by Augustus Hill and Poet
“Cambridge Dictionary definition of ‘routine’ is “A usual set of activities or way of doing things.
“Not so bad, right? Families got their routines - kids do their homework after dinner every night; dad goes golfing every Sunday morning; mom screws the pool boy every Tuesday afternoon.
“Cheerleaders got their routines, can get behind that shit just fine.
“So, routine isn’t always a bad thing.
“But here in Oz, I’d have to go with the definition found in Dictionary.com - ‘regular, unvarying, habitual, unimaginative or rote procedure.’
“Yeah, that’s more like it. Habitual, unimaginative, that’s Oz alright. Oh, sometimes McManus tries to shake things up, tries to improve or motivate but, well, fuck we all know how that works out.
“I suppose the routine can be a comfort, especially for the newbies. Gives them something to hang on to, something that becomes familiar. Kind of like school, amiright? The bells tell us what to do - when to start your day, when to end. When to sit down, get up, stay here, go there, time to work, time to eat, time to play…”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa… Hold on there, Ironside. Let me tell you about it.”
“You want time in the box, Poet? Take it. I’ma go get me some me extra sack time.”
“Now, what was he saying? Play? We ain’t got no play. Recess, where? Ain’t no recess here.
Maybe you count Miss Sally, watchin’ them tits smother Nooter and Pecky.
But them tits ain’t for you, your pecker is neutered.
“You can get tits another way, if you can pay…
Them firm white tits go up your nose, relieve you of your woes.
A minute or two of the routine is forgotten, until it fades away and you realize there is no stopping
The relentless grind of the everyday.
There is no way.
Unless you use it to escape forever, don’t come down off it ever.
Some break the routine by heading to the ether…
Heaven, or more likely Hell.
“Some get mad, be like attack, let it out.
Let the rage fuel the fight against the frustration, the emasculation.
Sucker punch for a name called is for the hopelessness.
Shiv to a nigger ‘cuz he stepped on your foot is for the helplessness.
Start a riot over a game of checkers to chase the boredom.
“Time in the hole at least is a change.
“The hole is good for a minute, let your mind settle, give it time to clear.
But the routine out there don’t have nothin’ on this in here.
Only so many steps you can take.
Only so many distractions you can make.
Only so much posing and posturing you can fake
for the guards so they don’t see you break.
Eat your breakfast, eat your lunch, eat your dinner -
Feel like a winner if the guards deem you fit
To give you all three servings of what passes for food in this pit.
“Get your bucket, take a piss, take a shit.
Rinse, repeat.
Only you don’t rinse, you don’t wash, you don’t bathe…
You a slave…
To society, to the system, to the warden, to the hacks.
A trickle down system that feels the lack…
“Passing it forward.
“Back in the population is like freedom.
You walk around feeling like you can win it,
But it only lasts a minute.
Then you got to take it, try to fake it so you can make it.
“Another day, another night, another day, another night,
Whether you run or you fight, you know it ain’t right.
You never see the light. You’re like a rat in a cage.
On your wheel, going nowhere, swallowing your rage.
“Them bells, them bells, hear them in your sleep.
Like school? Fuck no. These bells are here to keep
You in your place.
Stay here, go there, go nowhere fast.
Work now, eat later, see if you can last.
“You can avoid the fists, the shanks, the tits
Until you think you got it.
You can avoid the crazy, the boredom
Make it through another day
Get back to your cot to pray.
And wonder will you…
Make it through the night.
But eventually…
“The routine, man, the routine’ll kill you.”