Rain Soaked Walk

Yikes a meeting across campus
and its pouring with rain
If the coffee was not so good
I would abstain

Wish me well
as I storm the weather
or the weather
storms me.

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Why is Business a Forbidden Poetry Subject?

Many of us, poets included, spend our daily life working in or running businesses yet there is a paucity of poems around this important subject area. Love, marriage, money, animals, family, travel and scenery are all used in poems but humble business is neglected.

So here is another business poem entitled Late Night at the Office

I'm here again
working late at the office
The rain falls noisily on the roof
while the cadences of my typing
Fill the empty air.

So much for work life balance
More like work and more work imbalance..oops
Nearly fell off
my hobby horse
A business related accident.

Still, and stillness, late at night
Have their benefits
I can think more clearly about
Love, marriage, money, animals,
Family, travel and scenery.

Right I'm out of here,
Home, hearth and books
are beckoning

Have a great day/night/morning/afternoon (delete non applicable items)

DK

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The Early Morning Warrior

It is 5am
Get up
Get going

In the office
at 6.45am
Refreshed
eagerly getting
to the most
Important work

Before the phones ring
The emails come flying in
And the peace and quiet
shatters...

DK

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SIPOC

How readily flows
The mighty SIPOC
Mapping it's merry
Way from end to end

Suppliers we love them
Inputs we need them
Process rules all
Outputs come lately
Customers lastly
The end Amen

Explanatory Note
SIPOC is a business process mapping tool

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

In my Dreams

In my dreams
On Mondays
I jump outta bed
Keen as mustard
To attack the new
Work week with vigor
Energy and insight

The Reality
Does not
Always match
The dream
But such is
The world
Of dreams
And of common
Life

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

At the End of the Day

At the end of the day
Go home and forget
Your work
its trials
troubles
and triumphs

Go home to the wife of
your youth
and enjoy
the company
of
familes
and friends

Life is just like Business

Life like a business
has a beginning
and an end.
Birth, growth
and senescence.

The same rules apply.
Be honest,
treasure others,
work together,
for the common good.

And remember that life is
a journey
and not a destination,
and business is a way
to do good
make a profit
but also to nurture the
human soul
the Invisible hand

The Team

The synergy of a team
works well
for one and all

Beware the primadonna
who saps
the energy and

sucks the life away from
success and joy
and team cohesion

A team is
worth much
more than
anyone of
its component parts

Go forth O team
and conquer all

The Challenge Roller Coaster Poem

Up and down
Depair to Joy
The Challenge of Business
Is an exciting Ride

Problem ahead
Sink low
Solution Found
hit the heights

And as a bonus
with the
challenge
Comes growth

DK

The Interview

Having a job interview can be a traumatic experience. Having been on both sides of the interview process, I can sympathize with the candidate.

The Interview

The pure joy
of the call
or email
"You have an
interview
on Tuesday at 10".

But then the questions begin,
how many am I up against?
I won't have a chance!!
I will have an excellent chance
back and forth according
to the
fluctuating mood

What shall I wear?
How shall I speak?
What do they want?
What do I want?
the questions multiply until
Tuesday at 10

At last Tuesday am comes
out of bed
get dressed
breakfast if you dare!
Worry
Whats the time
Its time to go
blind panic
rush
rush
rush

The wait to go in
the minutes
that seem to stretch for hours
until the dulcet,
"Would you like to come in?"

How are you, this is X, Y, Z
God, how will I remember such
tricky names?
Try not to shake, tremble
or grip the proffered hand to tightly...

The questions begin
Tell us why
Tell us what
Tell us when
Tell us what
output, output
output without break

Thank God its over
home to relax and stew
to replay countless times,
"Why did I say that!"
What did they mean by...
until the answer comes
You have been successful
when can you start...


Copyright G Goodman September 2008

First published on Qassia

Business Travel

This poem is dedicated to those of you who partake in the joys of business travel...

Business Travel

Today I caught the red eye
Last week I caught the red eye
Last month I caught the red eye

I hate the red eye!

why can't the meetings
start at 11 instead of 8?
I would not get up early
and still
wouldn't be late

One hotel morphs
into another hotel
airport
looks like airport
the boredom is inane

I hate hotels!

why can't we all live together
and just walk to the meetings?
Time spent on traveling
would be spent on greetings

the only redeeming thing
is the people
the you's and me's
infinite
in variety

DK

Poetry and Politics

I have just read a very interesting article in the Aug 28 edition of the Hindu Times which is relevant to the topic of this blog. The article is by GAURAV KAPOOR and talks about the poetry of Kapil Sibal, who is the Science and Technology Minister for India.

Poetry in politics

Some quotes from the article follow:

Politics and poetry are poles apart. However, recently the story was different at ITC Maurya, New Delhi where Kapil Sibal, Science and Technology Minister India, launched his first book “I Witness: Partial Observations”. This Roli publication is a collection of his poetry on subjects like politics, lawyers, corruption, journalism, nature, moments of love etc, with a gentle sense of humour.

His poetry

addresses issues like global warming, the trust vote and happenings in Parliament. He also recited a few of his rhymes. “I wrote what I wanted to and never restricted myself. In politics I stick to the party line but as a poet there is no boundary.” Being a science and technology minister he made an appropriate use of technology, as he said, “I have composed poems on my cell phone in free time.”

.

That is my kind of politician. I am taking the generous view that politics is a business. I like the thought that poetry has no boundaries. It is heartening to see such a person extolling the uses and virtues of the poetic calling. Poetry is not (or not just) for the ivory towers of academia, it is prevalent wherever there is life...

Ciao

DK

The Sceptic

Bah, humbug
Poetry's not for me
From day to night
I'm working hard
To stack up cash
for God knows what
while all around me
poetry flows

But unaware
My business writings
crisp and clean
reflect
the poets art
Their careful crafting
copyright
Are stanzas
plucked from
business
life

Why does Poetry have such a bad rep?

When I was growing up, poetry was considered a very borderline activity. Reading and/or writing poetry was considered to be a sissy activity. At that stage I had no interest in poetry. It was not until I was in my 30's that I started to get some appreciation of poetry. I read some of the poems from the First World War, especially those of Sassoon, and was touched by their reality and grittiness. This was a different kind of poetry from the birds, bees and flowers stuff I was used to dismissing.

I began to see that poetry was a very effective way to crystallize powerful emotions. The very fact that poems tend to be shorter than prose, means that thought has to go into how you will craft the piece. THis crystallization process is what puts the punch into poetry.

Most business communication is terse and short. Business people do not appreciate flowery communications in the business situation. The goal is to communicate in a brief but succinct manner. This is a point of intersection between poetry and business.

DK

Seeing the Poetic in your Business

Most of us have the opportunity to see the poetic in our workplaces. We work with people who are endlessly fascinating, we sometimes do tasks and activities that allow us to get into the zone. The art is to see the poetry in motion. In fact the word poetry comes from the Greek word poieo - which means "to do".

I See Poetry

I see poetry everywhere
in the office
in the tearoom
and on
the factory floor

The beautiful face
the friendly smile
the impassioned
debate

All work is the flow
of poieo
of doing
of being
and
seeing with the
inner eye
of the muse

DK

First Published on Qassia

Specification

Why is it that person specifications always sound like the search for a higher being?

They never say
We are looking for someone
with average
communication skills
or a person who has normal
interpersonal skills

No we are strangled
with excellence
where do all the
people come from
to fill these god like
person specifications?

I think they
are imaginary people
who live
in the imaginations
of human resource
practitioners.

First published on Qassia

Meetings - A Lament

O how I hate meetings
Nothing gets done
the wind blows
from the mouths
of pompous attendees

Some sleep
Some gaze
blankly at the wall
or out the window
Their minds blissfully disengaged

While I sit there
wondering
when will
the real work
get done

Copyright The MBS Poet

First published on Qassia

Coffee - my First Published Poem

This poem was written while I was waiting for a client to meet me for a meeting over coffee. I was just sitting down enjoying a break and watching the other Customers.

COFFEE

The new ambrosia
Dark pungent brew
Surrounded by the urban glitterati
I muse


Spot the type
The flat white, insipid and weak
The long black express to go
The cappucino fluffy blonde
And me
Surrounded by the maelstrom
Of life

First Published in Blackmail 18 (http://www.blackmailpress.com/GG18.html)

DK

Way to Go: Business and Poetry

Hi There

This is blog one of the MBS Poet. I have taken inspiration from the lives and poetry of Wallace Stevens, T.S Eliot and Dana Goia who are all business people who wrote (and in Goia's case still writes) poetry.

Just because someone has a business degree (in my case a Masters in Business Studies)doesn't mean that they don't appreciate poetry and literature.

This blog will feature some of my poetry (some of which is truly awful i.e. bad poetry) and thoughts on the interface between business and poetry, or the business of poetry.

Cheers

DK