Thank you for emailing
at nine thirty-four last night
with seven exclamation marks.
And thank you
for not waiting until the morning
or – heaven forfend! – business hours.
It was a pleasure
to tuck myself in last night
to your melodious verse.

And, by the way, thank you also
for copying my boss.
I am sure he went to sleep
with a smile on his face
and will want to share
all those good feelings
first thing this morning
over coffee.

And I would be remiss not to mention
how uplifting this was for my staff.
You really know how to motivate —
they told me just yesterday —
so I know perfectly well
they will be waiting by my office door
as I walk in
(my absolute favorite way to start a day),
bursting with textual exegesis of your email!

Terms like ‘so very concerned’
and ’questionable competence’ —
quoteth you the Immortal Bard?
What a glorious day
you have begun for me!
Thank you — no really —
thank you.

——————————–
We all have a thorn in our side at the office, no? What is surprising to me is how I respond when my ’thorn’ calls a five alarm fire. My blood pressure shoots up and I cannot sleep.

Alas, not exactly Yeats today. I actually have a rule about not using poetry to deal with this stuff. But I hope the poem is at least a little entertaining. It certainly felt good to get it off my chest!