Poetry: A Story For Young Employees

This is what they told me, this is what they said:
“Any names you want at all, except every name in red.”
So I looked through all they’d given me, lined and question marked,
And in the end I had my list, composed of thoughts and larks.
But when I brought my list with me, to a meeting with our top,
She looked at it then looked at me, and then the penny dropped:
“I notice that you’ve struck this off, and I’d like to just know why,
Because I’ve seen him work myself, and I do think he’s our guy.”

I should have mused and shrugged and left, I should have bit my lip,
I should have done just anything, but let this winner zip:
“It seems to me that when I pick, I think of work and worth,
But when you look at all these names, you see the last names first.”

So now I sit and file and sneeze, where once I dialed and signed.
Sometimes I type up résumés, but more to pass some time.
It’s hard to get an interview, when bosses recommend:
“This guy has so many honest bones, he’ll never break or bend.”


(Revision)


This is what they told me, this is what they said:
“Pick four to five you think are right, but not the names in red.”
So given what they’d given me, I thought and lined and ticked,
And in the end I had my three, the best I could have picked.
But when I brought my list to share, at a meeting with our top,
She looked at it then looked at me, and then the penny dropped:
“I know you’ve struck him off the list, but what about this guy?
I myself have seen his work, and think he’s worth a try.”

I should have mused or shrugged or caved, I should have bit my lip.
I should have done most anything, but let this zinger zip:
“It seems to me that when I picked, I saw their work and worth,
But when you looked at all these names, you saw the last names first.”

So now I sit and file and sneeze, where once I dialed and signed.
Sometimes I type up résumés, but those are wastes of time.
It’s hard to get an interview, when bosses recommend:
“This guy’s a bag of honest bones; he’ll never break or bend.”