Expectation

It was all a mistake

Lines around the building
Phones ringing without rest
Mailbags in the doorway
Not to mention faxes
And the internet

And we responsible for the records
Sitting at our desks
Confounded by the fuss

Unauthorized
We denied all callers
Refused admittance to the crowd
Opened no envelopes
Pulled the plug on the rest

We waited for instructions
As we had been taught

Then a message
From someone in authority

It was all a mistake
Tell all comers
Whatever it was it isn’t
That’s that

Which is what we did
And went about our business
Following the rules

What we had we filed
We accepted no more
Soon we reported
Normalcy restored

11/27-12/1/95, 6/1/98
Copyright 1998 by Maurice Leiter
Posted with permission