On the Accountability Bureau, 17 August 1990.





A knife, unlike a trowel, spade or fork,


Offers greater versatility.


We possess one, a precious heirloom,


Hall-marked ‘Accountability’.





It chops, it cleaves, it pares and trims,


It hacks at the thickest of skins,


Leaving no scar, not a drop of blood let


The perfect tool for a kitchen cabinet.





Being unique, it’s not something to waste


On everyday meals or a local guest.


We prefer to display it only when


A foreigner is to be impressed.





Its blade is not of ordinary steel;


When blunted, it resists the grinder’s wheel.


Sharpening its rasped edge is done


Sparking against a politician’s tongue.





[Unpublished.]