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.