Water egress was the task at hand
Mike said he didn’t know why it was called egress
when it involved getting into water :
sliding down a rope from a helicopter
into a Zodiac inflatable ….
if lucky
if not, the North Sea ….. and ….
That rubber oval … It was so Goddamn small
“ what is it son
.. I’m scared Sarge
scared, SCARED, you’re not allowed to be scared in the army
get down that fucking rope NOW.”
Workmates not always remembered proportionate to time
common years never thought of,
barely recalled
a few weeks never far from consciousness
frequently recounted.
Conor,– Irish, travelling the world,
work lives overlapped for about six weeks
caricaturally Irish – brogue, auburn hair
humorous,
not always intentional or aware.
Like the time he told us about
talking to a Danish backpacker, blonde, pretty
and a boy’s thoughts turned to boys’ thoughts
so
“ I asked if I could go to bed with her.”
we were dumbstruck
“you what ?..”
“Well I was feeling quite horny a the time,
so I tort why not ask?”
“ Connor !!!
Tis not the first time…
it didn’t work then either.”
Share markets – part logic, part intuition:
solid and fragile
my broker said, “ I love monopolies,” and
“ son don’t have the grocery money in the market.”
Markets –
spooked as easily as a young colt
and as nervous as a teenager hoping for his first kiss,
or more.
The company had been long established
the CEO retiring after two decades of growth,
expansion, solid returns and peer kudos
the move long signalled
the board chair persuaded to sign on for three more years
to soothe jitters …. and present certainty.
At the end of the new realm’s first year
a roadshow –
Chair plus new CEO
see we’ve done okay, the wheels didn’t fall off,
still going strong
– how about buying some more shares.
At our regional meeting the Chair is suddenly called away –
very short notice
dynamic duo now mono –
CEO alone
he opens, “ the chairman was going to tell you
how everything is going well
and what a great job I’ve done
but I guess I just have to do that myself.”
Orphaned Islands (Un)poetry 