A Farewell Poem to a Colleague

Well! The time has finally come. John is leaving us.

He’s talked of nothing else for months, and now at last it’s here.

And though he’s said many a time he doesn’t want a fuss

I’m sure he won’t object if you buy him a farewell beer.

 

I hope his time with us has given him some good tales to tell

It’s been eventful, that’s for sure; right from the very start

Maybe soon someone will know our stories as well

As we know those of Kodak and the Royal Navy; by heart!

 

We’ve seen big John, we’ve seen slim John, with beard and without

We thought once that we’d lost him; a scary time there

We’ve seen him lighting cigarettes, we’ve seen him put them out

Always joking and cheerful, always combing his hair.

 

Someone who’ll be glad to have him back is lovely Jill

Though of course it means an end now to her peaceful life

They married when they were just kids and yet she loves him still

And everybody here knows how proud he is of “The Wife”.

 

 Then of course there’s “Mother-In-Law” just across the way

We’ve heard so much about her that we feel we know her well

Being surrounded by ladies 24 hours a day

John we know just what you’re thinking, that it will be…heaven!

 

At least if it all gets too much he’s got his garden shed

He can sit in there with his cats, a beer upon the shelf

He may think he’s a tough guy, but often it’s been said

That secretly under it all he’s a pussycat himself.

 

Can any of us imagine this company without John?

He’s been here so long now we all thought he’d taken root

The place will sure be quieter, now that he has gone

A little sad, like the TV when someone presses mute.

 

We’re so glad that he stuck with us, for better or for worse

Despite the obstacles and threats strewn along the way

That’s why, John, we dedicate to you this little verse

To thank you for making us what we are today

 

So I suppose this poem is a kind of Dear John letter

And though we hesitate to say it, lest it make you cry

There may be other Johns, but there will never be a better

And so at last we all must say Goodbye, Dear John, Goodbye.