Firstly
there are the close-knit teams
That work behind these office screens
Drafting covernotes and letters,
Insuring yachts for their jet-setters,
Or the normal household goods
Of the Smiths, the Peters, the Woods.
All types: third party, fire and theft,
Or fully comp. And on the left
Are trainees from the local schools
Working now on pro-rata rules
Or learning how to send a telex
To our branches down in Essex.
And this is the Director’s screen
Where he negotiates unseen,
Second-checks the work and signs
With a flourish the bottom lines.
Next the ladies on the V.D.U.
Who input what the technicians do;
Debit money from foreign banks
In Swedish Krona, Marks and Francs.
Then comes filing with its tiny chits
Requesting boxes, the usual bits:
Stamp-pads, staples, signing slips
And Biros with a range of tips.
Lastly there’s the man in wages
Who transfers monthly (though it seems ages)
Into bank accounts directly
Big and small amounts correctly.
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