Under the harsh glare of electric suns,
Flitting among the orange carpeted plains,
The office meerkats chatter and lap tea.
The tinny trill of a phone breaks the peace.
The meerkats shiny eyes blink then search,
As their quizzical heads rise above monitors.
Before they bolt
Back to their drab cubicle like burrows.
Tiny paws start clattering on keyboards,
The meerkats look busy, they’re experts at it.
Suddenly the clattering stops
Inquisitive noses sniff as heads re-emerge
A familiar scent is teasing.
Cake.
Keyboards and phones are forgotten
As paws scramble and pound,
Skittering across filing cabinets.
Eager faces crash into their chocolate prey,
Paws quickly start to pick the cake clean,
Tiny mouths bolting it down in huge chunks.
Then a heavy tread disturbs the carpet
Meerkat ears prick up
Chocolate smeared mouths screech warnings.
A manager has been sighted.
Cresting a desk the predator roars,
It has scented the cake.
The meerkats scramble back to their cubicles
Leaving only crumbs behind.
Safe they nestle, mouths start to happily snore
As furry paws contentedly hug full bellies.
Poems from Walsall Poet Richard Archer 