01
playful·card
Out of Office
Your final out-of-office says
I will not be returning.
At last, an email
we are happy not to forward.
I will not be returning.
At last, an email
we are happy not to forward.
6 poems
Retirement Poems for a Coworker
Six original retirement poems for a coworker, suitable for cards, speeches and a farewell with warmth or gentle humour.
A retirement poem should recognise the person, not just the empty desk. The best ones remember habits, shared work and the mixed feeling of a routine ending.
This collection includes concise card poems, a humorous option and longer pieces for reading aloud.
02
playful·speech
The Good Mug
Take the good mug from the kitchen.
You defended it through three restructures.
Leave us the chipped one,
the meeting notes, the mystery cable.
Some benefits are earned
beyond the reach of payroll.
You defended it through three restructures.
Leave us the chipped one,
the meeting notes, the mystery cable.
Some benefits are earned
beyond the reach of payroll.
03
hopeful·card
After Friday
After Friday, Monday will happen
without asking anything of you.
May the alarm lose confidence.
May coffee cool beside a book.
May your hours return
with their labels removed.
without asking anything of you.
May the alarm lose confidence.
May coffee cool beside a book.
May your hours return
with their labels removed.
04
tender·speech
What You Leave
Not only files with sensible names,
not only the drawer of spare pens.
You leave the habit of asking the quiet person,
the pause before a difficult answer,
the proof that work can be done
without making kindness inefficient.
not only the drawer of spare pens.
You leave the habit of asking the quiet person,
the pause before a difficult answer,
the proof that work can be done
without making kindness inefficient.
05
quiet·speech
The Last Meeting
For once, the meeting ends early.
Nobody adds another point.
We close our notebooks
and look at the person
we have been avoiding missing.
Outside, afternoon waits
with no agenda at all.
Nobody adds another point.
We close our notebooks
and look at the person
we have been avoiding missing.
Outside, afternoon waits
with no agenda at all.
06
playful·card
New Job Description
Required: noticing weather,
choosing lunch without a deadline,
becoming unavailable at short notice.
Experience preferred in gardens, trains,
and doing absolutely nothing well.
Start date: immediately after cake.
choosing lunch without a deadline,
becoming unavailable at short notice.
Experience preferred in gardens, trains,
and doing absolutely nothing well.
Start date: immediately after cake.
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