20151210 (misfit)

Regrettably how I felt every day of my career

Never liked the word accountability 

It had that buzzword feel about it

Sounded just a smidgeon vaguer

Than responsibility so that if 

Somebody did something wrong

He’d be responsible if he could be

Found but if he couldn’t you could

Always blame some supervisory

Sort down the chain who was you

Guessed it accountable that way

If anything went wrong in your

Area despite your being ultimately

Accountable you could always

Step sideways shuck the blame

To a lesser claiming you held him

Accountable if you’re thinking

Shell game right now you’d not be

Far wrong finally it came my time

To be held accountable I won’t go 

Into details but it fits the pattern

Described above couldn’t tell

Who did the deed but my boss

Wasn’t gonna take the bullet so

Since I was peripherally involved

He popped me for a week’s wages

With a nasty letter telling me much 

Worse would be on the way

If I didn’t clean up my act  

I appealed the decision but since 

Both he and his boss were 

After my ass I did the time 

The appeal quickly failed 

It was not very pleasant to 

Explain to your wife

You’ll be home for a week on 

An unpaid unsought vacation

What could she do but sympathize

Nobody had any recommendations

Of how to use the time profitably

If I could use that word

I thought about when much

Earlier in my career I was

Admired valued by the people 

Around me I had founded the

Company newsletter won awards

For the work brought national

Praise to our district I wrote the

CEO’s speeches from directions

As specific as Jim I’m talking

In Akron next week gimme

Ten minutes of the usual blah

Blah but make it sound fresh

I reread them plus his editorials

For the newsletter it wasn’t all 

Gold some were funny charming

Much better than the next guy’s

Who hadn’t a wordsmith in his

Pocket but my defenders were

All gone to retirement or better

To eternal positions who knows 

What aid I got from beyond

None were on earth anymore 

Who knew me in glory or cared

After the week I emerged 

Chastened not a whit in fact

Eager to nip at the heels of

That martinet who made it 

His personal quest to see me

Discharged which he almost did 

But he moved on promoted

Out of state word came down

He didn’t thrive there many 

Here were pleased to see him go

c. J.S.Manista, 2015