I spend a lot of time in very lengthy meetings, and I approve this poem ...
At the Very Lengthy Meeting
by Kevin McCaffrey
At the very lengthy meeting
I actually felt my soul leave my body
and rush toward the ceiling—
and fly around the walls and flare
toward daylight, toward the windows—
to throw silently its impetuous emptiness
against the glass in vain.
It could not go anywhere, the clear moth.
Then it lay on the rug, not exhausted
but bored and so inert that it almost—
though nothing—
took on a hue, stained with all the breaths
and words and thoughts that filled the room:
the yellow-green color of old teeth.
If you, too, have to spend much time in very lengthy meetings, you have my sympathy. And if you're stuck in a miserable conference call, there are things you can do to make the experience less miserable. Check out this article from the Harvard Business Review for some helpful hints.
Bilbo
Yes! The worst thing about lengthy meetings is spending some of it wishing you could just pee. Meetings should be short, even though not sweet.
ReplyDeleteThe poem captures the agony of being in a meeting you don't want to be in.
ReplyDeleteI have that 'lost my soul' feeling in long meetings. They can be ego trips for a few.
ReplyDeleteWhat's worse than a conference call? A conference call with Skype.
ReplyDeleteI liked the poem.
ReplyDelete