Their Secret Sign Poem by Margaret Alice Second

Sorely in need of emotional reinforcement and
not a favourite book with me - - magazines and
newspapers only reinforce the horrible physical
aspect of being human, the mental and spiritual
aspects are fine, but the emotional and physical
are a mess, irritation with a colleague suddenly
deciding humming is just the thing to brighten
her day and by default everybody else’s in the
open plan office

Any magical tale would change my mental station
from depressed to excited and enable me to tackle
the next awful translation, looking up terms to be
confronted with a can of worms, with 5 meanings
for one word I always choose the one that doesn’t
fit, it is a gift, to be constantly wrong because the
real criteria for choosing - rhythm and music - do
not apply and my brain refuses to see meaning as
being more important

It is possible to feel better by playing a role, who
shall I become – best is to use my Fedora to play
at being James Bond, creeping down the passage
stealthily, greeting our Director jovially so he can
not suspect I am here on Her Majesty’s business
and have a license to kill, imagine pulling a gun
on everyone who makes a sound that gets on my
nerves because they all work for Dr No and this
is their secret sign

30 October 2013