Stumps (Ode to a Bureaucrat)

Scaring off the little sparrows, Common, gray and humble birds, Radiating stern authority From behind his horn-rimmed glasses. Balding, bloated, greedy creature, In the guise of government clerk, Holds his briefcase tight and fondles it Like a lover in the dark. Furnished with a mighty title, Gifted from the powers above, Like a stubborn, solid oak stump, In his office chair he sits. Like a stubborn, solid oak stump, Like a stubborn, solid oak stump, Like a stubborn, solid oak-ooak stump, Thick-skulled and severe! And whenever some new idea On a reception day steps in, Pale and gaunt before your very eyes, Falls down crashing into him—the stump!...