How Will You Live The Life You Have Left?

I am a believer in humor. If you aren't laughing, you aren't living. Make sure, however, that your "joy" isn't a politician's fake pandering to an audience. The only bigger waste than a life without happiness and joy, is a life filled with fake smiles. 

He was a stern taskmaster.

He demanded perfection,

and he punished failure.

He assigned the jobs

to be performed,

and monitored their progress

with a focused attention to detail.

No laziness was tolerated,

and the days were long

and stressful for those under his control.

He never smiled,

as that would be a sign of weakness,

and he could never be seen to be weak.

He was strong

and firm,

and those who obeyed him

were not allowed to waver

from the collective goal.

He counted pens,

and paper,

and spent hours poring over

journals and entries,

and reports

about arcane subject matter.

Those who challenged him

weren’t around very long.

He didn't give second chances.

Others only received one opportunity

to meet his high standards.

Some of those around him

wondered what he did

when they weren’t around

to follow meekly

his demands.

What did he do

when he wasn’t ordering them about

and checking their work?

Did he have love in his life?

Did he laugh?

Did he ever get sick?

Who commanded him?

When he died,

everyone pretended to grieve.

They said the right words,

and the priest congratulated him

on a life of accomplishment.

The plaques, celebrating sales goals

and other successes,

are gathering dust in the warehouse

where accomplishments go when their owners die.

Maybe he will get a second chance,

in the life beyond midnight.

Maybe there is a place where he is allowed

to smile,

and be happy.

Perhaps there is a heaven for him.