The Poetry of Work

TROY, N.Y. - We've been scoring too hard. Our supervisor at the testing site told us today we're working too fast, and we might have to leave our jobs early. At my scoring table we decided to address the problem by stopping work and writing poems. Here's three:

Poem A

Last week we had stars,
shining in the sky,

Then we smelled rain,
Amanda said good-bye.

Wednesday was Earth,
saved by little kids,

And now...
we're reading poems
and I've hit the skids.

Poem B

The kid to my right is a new generation
He serves his answers with intense concentration

"A 4," he says - "No," I say, "3"
The shocked look on his face says he doesn't agree

The numbers are high
As a result, we'll lose work
My team says "Slow down!"
But it's hard for to shirk

At 20 you have all that time ahead
At 60, you're fighting a hospital bed

For you have to be fast and you have to be quick
To outrun the clock and its accelerating tick

But for my around I will slow down
So on Wednesday we'll get to come round

Another 2 - then a zero - a 4
Then drag your feet - don't do anymore.

Poem C

We're grading a question 'bout music
that's more than a little confusic...
Should the kid play the sax?
Or turn amp to the max?
Or just go and find him a floosie?