SIGN IN PLEASE

Just after I walked in,

I put a check next

to my name indicating,

“I am present.”

Then they began

the meeting

with a roll call.

I said, “Present.”

So I was surprised

when a piece of paper

was passed around

during the meeting

to sign one’s name

if one was present.

I signed – this making

it the third time I said

“I am present.”

But it had become

a blatant lie.
I was absent

from that meeting

from beginning to end.

And from where I was sitting,

so too were most of the

people in the room.

Has this ever happened to you?

“Ooops. That hurt when you said,

‘By the way, I've been 
at a meeting that you ran.'" 

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2013