Taking Stock

When Matins ended, Bert was keen

To slip away from church unseen,

He wasn’t one to stand and snicker

Making small talk with the vicar.

Sadly, one day, things went wrong:

The exit queue was slow and long,

It seemed the sidesman by the door

Was handing out some literature.

On getting to the door at last,

With not a chance of sidling past,

Bert joined the rest, bereft of hope,

Received a small brown envelope

And stared aghast with baffled looks

On finding in it - raffle books!

It wasn’t Bert’s idea of bliss

On leaving to be taking this,

So, if you’d rather give than take,

Try to learn from Bert’s mistake

And find a different way to go

When exit queues are long and slow.