A Magical Look at the
Year That Wasn’t
Twas the night before quarantine
and all through the Irving Convention Center,
The staff was all stirring,
uncertainty was the tenor.
Offices were being emptied,
files packed up with care,
With the hope it wouldn’t be long
before they all were back there.
When out of the copper
there rose such a clatter,
They jumped from their keyboards –
now what’s the matter?
When what to their wondering
eyes should appear?
A vision of the future,
both far and near.
They saw sanitizers and gloves
and a whole lot of masks,
carrying out great tasks.
Stay-at-home orders,
shutdowns and bad hairdos,
All to avoid
getting this strange new flu.
They struggled with Zoom
and watched a lot of podcasts,
While wondering how long
remote working would last?
Together they came
for in-person projects,
Sidewalks were chalked
with colorful objects.
They opened their kitchen
and loaned out their elves,
The hungry were fed,
a community of themselves.
They played Bingo with takeout,
dining-in had closed down,
Then curbside cocktails came along,
and they all danced around!
They blogged about food and staycations
and fun things to do,
Always with a warning …
watch out for that new flu!
Meetings and events
were booked for future dates,
While they tried to make sense
of the latest mandates.
Funding was tight,
budgets cut to the core,
Accounting’s mantra was simple,
“Y'all, we’re poor.”
Like everyone else,
a difficult year is what they’d face,
Sprinkled with moments of pride and joy
and a whole lot of grace.
But through it all
they’d find a way to survive,
While hard work and giving back
allowed them to thrive.
And at the end of the year,
the same message they’d cry,
“Happy Holidays to all,
and to 2020 … Buh-Bye!”
