my heart sinks
from holding back tears
that are ready to burst through the wall
of my ice cold heart

two hundred fifty
computers in North America
to upgrade and repair
in ten days

i was team captain
leading a team of five
i finished one hundred machines
one fifty finished by the four

completed my duty
completed another mission
executed flawlessly
on a grand scale

no committee to welcome me
no grasp of magnitude
no understanding of feat
when i return

ivory towers still ivory towers
committees still committees
bureaucracies still bureaucracies
when i return

though surrounded
by my compatriots
i will sit in my seat alone
as i do now, when i return

“another iced tea sir?”
my gentle server asks,
“no thank you”, i reply
“it’s time to go home”