Another Office Daydream (With Corrections) Poem by Margaret Alice Second

When Mimi started singing while making coffee
in the open-plan office I concocted a plan to the
advantage of both of us - lent her my ‘Phantom
of the Opera’ DVD so she can watch it, gave her
my ‘Phantom’ music score with lyrics, eventually
we can sing the songs together - beginning with
‘Think of Me Fondly’ – thus her love of song
will include the lyrics and melodies I love…

My colleague Hanlie said when she was about 7
she made her own magazine and wrote her own
short stories - reminding me I babbled pretending
I could speak strange languages when I was small
told children’s stories on our old type-recorder and
changed my voice for each character, the best fun
ever and later, imitating BBC radio drama, enjoyed
practising fake Spanish & Russian accents

Since we can recall such happy times we’ll add to
these memories - Hanlie writing book reports - and
Mimi singing ‘Phantom of the Opera songs with me,
when dancing to the melodies of ‘The Merry Widow’,
Mankidi wanted to learn these steps borrowed from
Mandela’s magical shuffle which had once made the
Queen of England dance with him – we could try to
convince the Chief Director to dance also

Yet it would be more sophisticated to dance a tango
with him, imitating Death taking Renata Flitworth to
the harvest feast, moving up and down arms held in
the air like the prow of an old sailing ship -
ah, another office daydream…

[Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett]