‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE SHOW OPEN…

‘Twas the night before show open, and all through the hall,
Not a creature was stirring, no booths to reinstall;
The signage was hung in the booths with care,
In hopes that attendees would soon be there;

The staff were all hoping to get to their beds,
But visions of sleeplessness danced in their heads;
And I in my sneakers warned you in your shoes,
“I hope you brought Band-Aids for those feet with the blues.”

We paused for a moment as we heard a clatter,
And breathed a sigh of relief that it was a competitor’s matter.
We had a brief moment, so away to the bathroom I flew like a flash,
Tore open the door, and got serious whiplash.

But the moment provided me just enough time,
To gather my thoughts and wash my hands of the grime.
As I wandered back to my colleagues something appeared,
Not a miniature sleigh, but a forklift driven by a man with beard.

He was a friendly old driver, but not in a hurry,
As a matter of fact, he was moving so slow I started to worry.
Slower than snails his movements they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called his colleagues by name:

Hey Joe, Hey Fred, Hey Bubba, and Rico,
Hey Billy, Hey Tex, Hey Harry and Chico;
“Let’s go. Let’s move. Let’s lift this crate.”
“We’ve got lots to do and can’t be late!”

And just like that, the crate was lifted,
And we all watched, then gasped as it shifted.
But they righted it real quick, tragedy averted,
And you don’t want to know what we loudly blurted.

And then in a twinkling, I started to think,
About how I might like to have a mixed drink.
I started to think about the high drayage bill,
And was trying to remember if I had a living will.

The client won’t be pleased and I understand,
You see this cost should be budgeted and not so unplanned.
But there is so much to do, this is an industry issue,
I won’t solve it now, so hand me a tissue.

I’ll focus on everything else that needs to get done,
We’ll do our best for the client, and it’ll be fun.
I’ll watch our driver move to another booth,
Wish him well and that’s the truth.

We work real hard and offer solutions,
And are always so proud of everyone’s contributions.
So with a wink of your eye and a twist of your head, 
You’ve come this far, you have nothing to dread.

Not a word is spoken, you go straight to work,
You vacuum and dust; then turn with a jerk,
You pack up your stuff, getting ready to go,
When someone mentions, “Hey did you hear about the snow?”

You spring into action, run to look outside,
Praying and hoping that someone has lied.
You just want to go home and sleep in your bed,
Love on your family and rest your weary head.

So before you exclaim, “Oh nuts, I’m stuck here tonight!”
It’s par for course so rebook your flight.
And one final thing, as you adjust your travel,
Go with flow as your plans unravel.

You’re used to this stuff, and very well-versed,
After all, it’s Show Open and the exhibit comes first.
Head to the bar, and shout to all within sight,
“Happy Holidays to all, and to all a good night!”

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