I watch as everyone shuffles restlessly,

suddenly aware of the unpleasant stench engulfing the room,

watch as they surreptitiously look out of the corner of their eyes

as they try to catch sight of the culprit- the elephant in the room

and decide whether

 

to slump down in their seats, writhe, or wither in embarrassment,

avoid eye contact, try not to overtly wrinkle noses,

pretend not to notice which crotch

the trunk dandles in

or who’s corner it is taking a dump in,

 

or choose to woman-up,

poke the pachyderm hard, make it stand up and be counted,

state its reason for turning up uninvited,

or at least for not being on the agenda,

having muddied the carpets and wrecked the lift to get here.

 

A tough decision – but I sigh with relief at the call out

when it finally comes –

because unless someone stands firm,

gets that elephant to stand front and centre,

there’ll be no getting rid of him

 

and that bad smell will face us every time we meet-

and regardless

we will have to step through a lot of elephant dung

before we get out of here-

and then we’ve got all the stairs to contend with.