Off the Record

It was comforting to never to find out
ignorance allowed pretence to pretend
that what imagination, sometimes imagined
may not have been true.

My predecessor had been a pain in the butt
lippy
a single target provocateur
never missing a chance to wind her up
to stick it to her.
But he had style – and got away with it,
it helped that the boss liked him.
Often, his mischief was funny
but sometimes it went too far –
personal turning professional … one department against another
and when he left,
resentment stayed behind: coiled and lurking.

And now it was payback
the chase of important paper
wind snatched and taunted along the pavement
almost
then spinning away
watched with such obvious gratification
rancour knows it was released …..  not escaped.

Superstition carries unspoken dread
and inadmissible truth.
I always feared she might die unexpectedly
or tragically
and I would experience no grief or shock
only relief,
it was comforting to never find out.