THE UNIONISTS
| Television can be dangerous The children watched the evening news And they heard an angry unionist Put forward union views They saw the management cave in To the power of union might They overlooked that in this instance The union had been right They both were so impressed They felt their life had changed right then Ingrid was nine years of age Brother Jason had turned ten They hardly missed a day at school And with the knowledge schooling brings They would use their new found wisdom To alter many unfair things They felt so very confident They had great debating skill They would now form their own union So many dreams they could fulfil They hastily made a picket sign They would take their sign to school Lots of kids would join their union In every household kids would rule Their confidence kept growing As they had a 'union' chat The bottom line on their picket Even pleased the dog and cat They would inform their loving parents Sometime later the next day That they now were 'solid union' And they meant to have their way They announced their "Children's Union" While they had their evening meal And the parents were advised What constituted a fair deal The parents sat in silence As the list of claims were read And they listened very patiently To the words that Jason said "A family is a kind of business We have management and staff And the workers have too many chores We plan to cut our chores by half." "In future we'll negotiate For everything we do And whether things get done or not Of course, that's up to you." "Each time you send us on an errand To get things from the shop Unless we get some compensation Then, that habit has to stop." "You'll find many other places Where a union line is drawn Sis won't help to make the beds And I won't help dad mow the lawn." "We don't have to keep our rooms neat That's a rule we won't allow A neat room feels uncomfortable So, that rule is thrown out now." "When our rooms are neat and tidy Not a darn thing can be found Kids like to see where things are We like to spread our stuff around." "And with all the jobs we have to do We demand to get more pay You'll have to double our allowance And that starts from today." "And study is so boring It drains our mental power So when we have loads of homework We'll charge a dollar every hour." "But to prove that we're not greedy And how generous we are For a sum of just five dollars each We'll help you wash the car." "And we'll refuse in future To wash the dog or groom the cat We're sick of struggling with them We won't compromise on that." Don't try to make us eat broccoli Or cabbage or string bean We want chicken every second day And hot dogs on days between "There's going to be a lot of changes And one change that's coming soon You will find us at the movies Every Saturday afternoon." "And taking out the garbage We don't hold a single doubt That task belongs to management It's a chore that we'll strike out." "That curfew on our bed time We feel that isn't right So we intend to watch the T.V. And stay up late at night." "If you force your will upon us To do something we dislike Then regretfully you're going to find That we've both gone on strike." "And of course we hope you realise While we fight this drawn out duel We'll stay home and watch the T.V. We won't even go to school." "That's enough!" the father chuckled "I hate to fill you with regret But we officially inform you You've made demands that you won't get." "This 'union' thing has shocked us." Their dad said with a grin "And though we'll discus it with you I'm not sure where to begin." "I can't believe how much your 'union' Has heralded such change You're now aggressive and demanding And acting very strange." "You used to find enjoyment When you helped me mow the yard To drive a ride-on mower Isn't really very hard." "And Ingrid used to volunteer To help mum make the beds But now you are inferring It's a job she really dreads." "It's only right you wash the dog and cat They're both owned by you And they are your responsibility So it's the proper thing to do." "You claim that you have many chores And many that you shun Well, perhaps you do have other chores But I can't think of one." "You've put great strain on the management But we'll battle on somehow Of course, we'll have to cut some costs So we'll dismiss the workers now." "You will find that just like union Good management has some clout And because you've gone on strike We have the right to lock you out." "We'll have to bring in outside help For any extra work that looms And as you no longer work here We will sub-let both your rooms." "The house will be off limits But we don't want to be too hard So if you care to buy a sleeping bag We'll let you camp in the back yard." "Don't look through the kitchen window Because you know how bad we'll feel When you don't have any money And have to watch us eat our meal." "And a lovely thought occurred to me That while you're not drawing pay We can save that extra money To have a real good holiday." "We'll save a heap of money We'll watch our savings reach the sky There'll be no school fees or uniforms Or children's clothes to buy." "We'll be rid of many daily costs That put wrinkles on our brow Life is going to be so easy Please, could you go on strike right now?" "We'll probably feel a little guilty While we're saving on these costs You'll be sleeping 'neath the moon and stars In ice cold winter frosts." "Be careful where you're sleeping Zip your sleeping bags real tight Because you know that lots of spiders Love to prowl around at night." "And when the Summer gets here You can't afford to make mistakes You could find you have a bed mate It's the season for brown snakes." "You'll be living with the elements In driving winds and rain Don't plead to us for shelter Because your pleas will be in vain." "I'll sell off your computers And of course, I'll sell your bike You have to cash in lots of assets When a union goes on strike." "I'll sell your compact disc collections And your sound systems, too You won't be living in the house So, they'll be no use to you." "We won't be helping with your homework Or fixing things you've broke Life is going to be so easy It will almost be a joke." "We'll have lots of hours of leisure Life will almost be a bore Your union strike will be terrific I wish you'd thought of it before." "This strike could last a long time Because you should plainly see We won't submit to your proposals So it could last indefinitely." Jason's knees were trembling And Ingrid looked quite ill They were no longer solid union They'd quickly had their fill Jason gave a nervous laugh "We were only fooling dad We really fooled you that time It's the best laugh that we've had." "Did you really think we'd go on strike? That's the last thing that we'd do Because we could never do enough For great parents like you two!" The father turned to his wife And gave a secret wink "Jason claims that they were joking But I don't know what to think." "Should we re-employ them? I'm not sure what to do I don't like rebellious children But the decision's up to you." "We can't make a quick decision And while we take time to think They can clear the dining table And stack the dishes in the sink." "Tonight they'll do the washing up And I've another job in store While we watch television They can mop the kitchen floor." The father started laughing "We'll let you off this time But next time you pull a stunt like that I'll make you toe the line." "You know I've never slapped you But as I heard your raves and rants I came very close to giving you A swift kick up the pants." "It's a dangerous game you tried to play." Their dad said with a grin "Before you call a union strike Make sure you're going to win." K.D. Abbott © 2009 |
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