busker

Call for Poems

This too went down well with the San Carlos poetasters a few years back.

Agenda

My grandfather sits at the front in the Chairman's eye, he
Questions the Apologies for Absence; he
Questions the Minutes including
The accuracy of the amendments in these Minutes

To the Minutes of the meeting before last, he
Raises Matters Arising for half an hour

Then he
Carps at the order of items on the Agenda,
Queries the omission of items *from* the Agenda,

Interrupts, interjects, raises Points of Information,
Asks innocent - loaded - questions, has serious Points of Order,
Puts down motions, puts down amendments to motions,
Puts down amendments to amendments,questions the voting -
Wants the Chairman to state again exactly what it is
They have decided by the voting -
Wants his disagreement with the Chairman's decision minuted;
Quotes the Constitution,
Waves the Companies Act.

Grandad proposes the creation of
sub-committees, steering committees, working parties and

Working groups, and declines election
To any of them himself.
Any Other Business
Is devoted to matters raised by Grandad alone.

When the time comes to decide the Date of Next Meeting, Grandad
Objects on sound grounds to every possible date.
The desk diaries rise wearily from dispatch cases once again,
Overcoats stay unbuttoned, the great white pages
Turn and flutter
and the flutter becomes a wind
And the wind becomes a gale tearing
At the darkness in everybody's soul in the steamed-up room.

When the storm subsides, Grandad
Has disappeared - until the next time.