Also ran

I follow the news but do not set the pace

teach what I was taught without invention

and hook my carriage to a steady train

the Thursday in a busy week

one well aware of precedent and protocol

the universal second-in-command

like a hen that knows its pecking order

the ideal civil servant, a reasoned man

relied on to embrace the logical conclusion

who plays according to Hoyle without flare

or error, adheres to the recipe

and writes to an accepted format

so the only time I lead is when I drive

by the code at the head of a winding queue

of reluctant restless followers.