Written for Karen when she left the firm where I worked. She was officially the receptionist but generally known by everybody as the all round fixer, who had 100 other jobs to do unofficially. Always there, ready to help, especially for the trainers. A big loss when she left.

What did Karen ever do for us?

By Fahim Firfiray

London SW1X, November 2007

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Arranger of open

or in-company courses,

Dispatcher all over

of needed resources

 

Speaker on phone

when things need to be spoken,

Fixer all round

of all things broken

 

Interior designer

of corridors and halls,

Sticker of stencils,

Painter of walls

 

Mender of roofs,

Unclogger of bogs,

Maintainer of registers,

Logger of logs

 

Hirer of anything

needed to hire,

Enforcer of regs

relating to fire

 

Inductor of all

new inductees,

Procurer of coffees,

biscuits and teas

 

Meeter and Greeter

of the first to arrive,

Checker of names,

Lee, Sue or Clive

 

Shaker of hands

welcomer, smiler,

Recorder of good news,

Complaints compiler

 

Manager when things

don’t go to plan,

Bearer of flak

when stuff hits the fan

 

Checker of supplies,

Counter of cash,

Watcher of stock,

Recycler of trash

 

Attender to matters

of utmost urgency,

Advisor of contacts

at times of emergency

 

So many jobs

but let’s not pretend,

The best role of all,

Beloved colleague and friend