A board room table:
A ring of dour faces.
What is this language they speak?
Government-ese.
I stopped listening to them,
And began listening to the words instead.
The way they are strung together,
Unnaturally
Making sense only in Government-ese:
“I’m thinking hard”
“I’d like to share this information with you”
“far too much information”
“no win situation”
“follow up and feedback”
“in a former life”
“in the early stages”
“mm mmmmm”
“exciting looking forward”
“great committee behind it”
“what’s your strategy?”
“park it”
“contact person”
“consolidation”
“flag the issues”
“sitting on my desk all signed off”
“important learning”
“it’s not realistic”
“contractual obligations aren’t consistent with the organisation’s expectations”
“guidelines”
“sucking it and seeing”
“consensus”
“we need to identify the issues and make recommendations”
We file out afterwards.
Some people linger swapping email addresses
Or standardised business cards.
I slip out quietly, taking my fourth chocolate biscuit as I go.
A ring of dour faces.
What is this language they speak?
Government-ese.
I stopped listening to them,
And began listening to the words instead.
The way they are strung together,
Unnaturally
Making sense only in Government-ese:
“I’m thinking hard”
“I’d like to share this information with you”
“far too much information”
“no win situation”
“follow up and feedback”
“in a former life”
“in the early stages”
“mm mmmmm”
“exciting looking forward”
“great committee behind it”
“what’s your strategy?”
“park it”
“contact person”
“consolidation”
“flag the issues”
“sitting on my desk all signed off”
“important learning”
“it’s not realistic”
“contractual obligations aren’t consistent with the organisation’s expectations”
“guidelines”
“sucking it and seeing”
“consensus”
“we need to identify the issues and make recommendations”
We file out afterwards.
Some people linger swapping email addresses
Or standardised business cards.
I slip out quietly, taking my fourth chocolate biscuit as I go.
