Wasting electricity

A man came at me through a cloud the other day
He said: “Hey!  
I’m trying do a survey.”  Came at me through the air
Said “Do me a favour brother and answer this questionnaire.”

Well, I was busy watching golandrinas and vencejos swooping by
That’s swallows and swifts, by the by
If I don’t translate those words, it’s a poke in the eye

He said “Look, I feel bad about bothering you
But I need to earn a crust.
I’m a qualified man – four years in university.”

I don’t know what that had to do with me
But I said OK.

“Great!” he shouted, hovering just above
And he organised his clip-board

“Are you currently employed?”
“Kind of” I answered.  “How about you?”

“It has to be yes or no.
Are you currently employed?”

“Well, you’ve kind of got me there.”
He told me I wasn’t playing fair.
It had to be yes or no.

“Yes.” I told him.

“And what do you currently earn?
Less than ten thousand a year?
Between ten and twenty thousand a year?
More than twenty thousand a year?”

“Nothing.”

He went up and down a little.
It was hard to keep track of him and not get dizzy.

“It has to be 
Less than ten thousand a year?
Between ten and twenty thousand a year?
More than twenty thousand a year?”

“Nothing.”

“But you can’t be employed then.”

“Well I am.”  I said.  “But there ain’t no work.”

He flipped the page over.
The golandrinas and vencejos had gone away
Which made me a little sad.

“How much more of this?” I asked.

“On a score of one to ten: 
one: least concerned,
ten: most,
Which is your biggest worry?
Losing your job or dying?”

“Losing my job, nine.
Dying, one.”

He wrote something.

“Can you tell me why you chose that answer?”

“If I’m dead it won’t matter.”

He wrote that, too.

“When was the last time you took a day off through ill-health?”

“Three years ago.”

“I’m sorry.”  he said.  “My pen’s stopped working.”

“Do you have another?” I asked.

“No.”

“Then we’ve got a problem.”

If these people gonna interrupt your day
Coming through some goddamned cloud
You’d think they’d come equipped.

That was kind of it, really.
I hoped it might rhyme better.