THE STAR IS WAITING TO SEE THE MANAGER
A moment since, the office boy,
Invisible as Night itself,
Reposed on some dim-curtained shelf
And tasted peace, without alloy.
Secure from all the day's alarms,
Of boss and bell the very jinx,
He gazed immobile as the Sphinx
On pompous front and painted charms.
Now out of interstellar space,
Beyond the sunlight and the storm,
Appears that lightning-laden form,
That toothful smile, that cryptic face.
Whence came he, who that breathes can tell?—
He was so hid from mortal eyes,
Perhaps he fell from paradise,
Perhaps they chased him out of hell.
But now his heels show everywhere,
A dozen doors are opened wide,
He stands before, behind, beside,
He fills the ether and the air.
Far quicker than a wink or beck,
Far sleeker than a juvenile,
He barely tops the giant smile
That wreathes his forehead and his neck.
Oh! sudden gold evolved from dross!
Who wrought the shining miracle?
What magic cast the dazzling spell?—
The star is here to see the boss!