Poem on a line by Douglas Dunn

So now that’s all over and done with:
last budget approved, contracts signed,
meetings chaired and minutes corrected;
I've emptied drives of my folders and files
and forwarded emails to my successor:
the bureaucratic dross is all hers, now.

I’ve thanked my staff, been thanked by them
rather more than I foresaw; I’ve tried
and failed to hide my glee at this departure,
which seems to me long overdue. I’m off
to free myself from my exacting double,
her careful strategies, her tailored suits,
her quality standards that I’ve never met.

Now I'll sleep a sleep that's full of dreams
not nightmares of reports I’ve left undone;
I'll cook good food and at last have time
to read and think about the books I love.

Sharon Phillips

If you have any thoughts on this poem, Sharon Phillips  would be pleased to hear them.