Beetlebung and Kettlehole--April Poems

Back to Work

Back to work, one more day...
Go chase papers
on your cluttered desk
and forget the layoffs, but
                   you’re a mallard bobbing
                   on choppy water, and
                   you might grow wings
                   at the sides of your head
                   to dodge the hunters,
                   aiming to put you away.

The ringing phone…
Just hope the secretary
doesn’t forget you’re out of reach.
But what if she does?
                   Do not hedge but stay low
Keep your cool.
No one ever gets paid for angst,
                   and if you avoid the shots,
                   your achievement award
                   for lifetime is
     Eighteen thousand breaths a day.


Prompt: Back to work