Me and my lads in the office
We like to chat and to call
Laugh at how shiny Nicks head is
And tell Andy he’s not very tall
It’s a big open plan sort of office
With desks jammed in several rows
We laugh and we joke and we banter
And everyone shares what they know
The boss really don’t like to come here
Looks down his nose on our fun
Says our chat is inappropriate
But without us his Network won’t run
We configure, programme and monitor
Run a network no one will believe
Complex, fast and enormous
We are proud of what we achieve
Whilst fingers dance over keyboards
And engineers cable in floors
I manage them and also I love them
For the jokes they put up on the doors
So my lads and I sit in that office
If we aren’t out mending the kit
Share pictures of Katy’s new baby
And tell David he’s not very fit.
Copyright © 2020 Kim Whysall-Hammond
This poem is a hymn to the team of Network Engineers that I had the pleasure to manage several years ago. It was written in response to Jim Feeney’s Lads Poetry Project. His poems are a lot better than this one, here’s an excellent example :
https://stopdraggingthepanda.com/2020/07/08/rob-the-lads-poetry-project-3/
This poem is also part of the dVerse Poets Pub Open Link Night: https://dversepoets.com/
The Cheesesellers Wife 
Love it! That banter is spot on. I love Jim’s “lads” project – as you know. There’s a lot of warmth in those poems, and those relationships.
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Yes there is a lot of warmth and generosity. I have often been the only woman in a technical team, admittedly when younger, my nickname was “the dollybird” …..but it was affectionate. I have always assumed I’m as equal as the lads/ men and they have accepted it. It’s management who would have problems with it.
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Great tribute! Sense of humor snd jokes really make the workplace fun.
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The department head loathed our sense of humour, threatened to report us all to HR for sexism. Despite the fact that there were women in the team who all actively and happily joined in. We were never sexist, just joshing each other.
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The head didn’t know it, but they were adding to the humor.
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Great stuff Kim! Captures the workplace and the banter perfectly (I also worked in an engineering office) . A worthy addition to the Lads Poetry Project!
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Thank you! Glad you liked it…. phew, relieved now…. ;)
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Loved it! Especially the references you’ve put in your poem from your personal life, wonderfully expressed :>) ~ Jay
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Thank you and yes, it’s all real. Hopefully Nick, Andy, Katy and David will not read this and come and complain! :)
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Ha, I think they’d be glad that you included them in your poem :) You’re welcome.
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Nice! Made me smile and think of The IT Crowd…
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Thanks! Except in this case the female boss (me) was also an engineer. ;)
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My husband’s in IT and was a Network Engineer for a long time – but I’m more like the lady who thinks the Internet would fit in a shoe box 🙈
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My husband was convincing someone yesterday that the internet is based in London and it’s in all the new skyscrapers…
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Aww, this is quite sweet and lovely! I love the warmth and humor here.
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Thank you Lucy! Our boss hated us……
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Love the rhyming banter in this. Sounds like a fun office to work in! Hope you read this aloud to your team! :)
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Alas, I work no longer work there……
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HA! This is marvelous. It probably might describe any number of office situations. It has such a nice rhythm and flow, crying to be read aloud!
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Thanks Beverly, I usually don’t do rhymes but the first line just demanded it.
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Nicely contrived poem about the real world. Enjoyed reading it.
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It was tremendous fun to write.
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I can tell. :-)
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office banter must be a hoot! <3
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It was! Sadly I was made redundant, but I still keep in touch with some of the guys.
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