Futility

For any other government employees who realise that the biggest impediments to getting the job done are the policies and practices of the people higher up the food chain.

Imagine your job is to dig a deep hole,

But you haven't a spade, just a small plastic bowl.

And beside you's the person who set you the task,

And you know his encouraging smile is a mask.

Because you know that when you look down or away,

He's filling your hole up with buckets of clay.

Then he gets angry and points to the ground,

Where instead of a hole, you now have a mound.

So you tell him you'll fix it if given a chance,

And once more you begin the whole sorry dance.

You tell him the work will be less delayed,

If he opens the coffers and buys you a spade.

So he tells you he'll get you a good digging tool,

But after some time you will feel like a fool.

Because here you are hoping and using your bowl,

And now he's using your spade to fill in your hole.

You feel like you're digging on down in despair,

When you realise the powers that be just don't care.

It doesn't matter to them if you've a hole or a mound,

As long as they have someone digging the ground.

They'll write a report to show things have improved,

And reference the amount of earth you've removed.

You'd like to move on and do something new,

But it turns out that that is expensive to do.

And you have a family that depend on your pay,

So you just keep on digging, day after day,

And still you'll keep digging, you don't like to shirk,

And that's how I feel when I go to work!

Reviews

[thewholesoul]

i hear you brother, it must be a little soul destroying at times.

"When you realise the powers that be just don't care.It doesn't matter to them if you've a hole or a mound, As long as they have someone digging the ground"

i call them the powers that shouldn't be. we need to shake of this hierarchal system, but how ? like you say, you need the paper to feed your family. they got us by the balls, it would seem.

[Mick Burke]

Thanks for reading and for your review.

[Marie]

This is almost funny, and yet it isn't really, is it? Sometimes it seems as if our work doesn't produce anything, and no one really cares.

[Mick Burke]

Thank you Marie.