A List Of Fools

Written
2001

 Uncle Dave would bite his tongue

        for there was nothing he could say.

Fellow bureaucrats more interested

      in a set of rules than those

      who had to follow the rules

       were his special source of anger.

Posturing and acting out power

       were just about as bad and all he

       could do was to bite is tongue.

Stupidity and lazy self centered attitudes

       of colleagues made him

      see himself as not unlike the little red hen.

For when he did all the work

        there should be a loaf of fresh bread.

Never happened and he worked away

       without appreciation.

His efforts to have a rational world

       were sabotaged by fools and

       he had to watch in silence.

As if his office were not enough he

       read in the papers of all the

       irrational things happening every day.

Cruelty, stupidity and flaky behavior

       surrounded him.

The "List Of Fools" was his

        therapy source.

Each fool he met became an entry to

      his list.

Soon it had a number of folks

        who were not unlike the return

        of the bigger and badder villains

        Batman had to face in each sequel.

If a list can have

        a set of main characters

        this list did.

Finally, he retired  

         and could he now could say what

         he always wanted to say.

He called all the central cast of fools

        from his list to a feast.

They ate and drank and boasted 

        and finally Uncle Dave stood

       and offered a toast

        to all the fools in the room.

But, no one was offended

        and he asked why.

He was answered by the biggest fool of all:

"Oh, you wore that list around your neck

          for so long we all just accepted it

         as a forgivable part of you."

 

 

Notes
Knew a man who actually did have a list of fools. And in many ways he was the biggest fool of all. Making the list isolated him. I pride myself of being on both the John Birch Society and Dave's lists.