Temporary Filing

When I came off the phone I was smiling,
It was sly, like; fox-like.
Where's a mirror when you need one!

At first, for a splitsecond, I'd thought -
It's me phoning. Shit! But no.
It didn't fit; she was just down.

Her tangly redundancy, the alleged
theft of one computer in leiu of wages,
six weeks wages she'll never see.

But by the end she was,
if not happy, at least chirpy,
chatting lightly, bird-like again.

I give her only easy pieces,
"a very positive way of thinking" says she
"damn right!" says me (tomorrow she gets a temp job, filing)

And I downs the phone, turns
to the curtains, "Not bad for just one minute's work, eh!"
And I swear I can see myself smiling.


Cor, 19th Nov 1999