(the Future Was) Not As Good As The Book

Called into life comes a man knuckled down, broken in, but already working
Slightly bemused by the new world he finds himself in
Adopting his thoughts to environments strange and bizarre,
He never thought to encounter,
Running his fingers through things he once read of in books
And all of it seems so unclear
It’s not the future he once held so dear
But there’s always tomorrow, always today
There’s always something in the way
He grew up with Eagle 'computers that plotted his courses to far distant planets
But ended up in a grey office suite with Excel
Now he finds routes to the goals of his peers
And the vast empty space of their pockets
Crossing the vacuum that lies between sci-fi and hell
And all of it just seems so drear
It’s not the future he once held so dear
But there’s always tomorrow, always today
There’s always something in the way
And is this the dream I had as a child?
To see moons from whatever side…
Exploring space with flashing lights
To ride in the pod a Virgil’s right
To boldly go where no man has gone before
To take chicks to settle the score
I smile and push the key
And see Uncle Microsoft smiling right back at me