At the eleventh hour we stop for tea
biscuits – bourbons, custard creams and digestives
birthday cakes for birthday boys and girls we see
abstemious or decadent their choice lives
or dies, pointer to their personality
but cake is cake, no judgement do we give
anything that elevates the office day
is most welcome so we always like to say
a merry office band forged in this routine
so that whatever friction there has been
dissolves in tea, lasting discord seldom seen…
© Andrew Wilson, 2026
Over at dVesre Poets Pub, Laura Bloomsbury in Meeting the Bar: Critique and Craft is the mistress of poetic form and today invites us too write either a Hendecastich , a form by Michael Fantina, or the one I have chosen to write to (first rhyming scheme) – The Eleventh Power by Christina Jussaume:
- 11 line poem
- 1 stanza
- 11 syllables per line
- rhyme scheme of abababccddd or ababababccc,
- an uplifting theme
Only in the UK, Andrew, and thank goodness for elevenses – and not just at the office! Do you remember Workers’ Playtime on the wireless? I used to listen to it with my grandmother when I was very small. And Music While You Work!
I do remember Workers’ Playtime, Kim, and Music While You Work…
Yes! It the best way to recharge. Love this, Andrew.
Thanks, Marilyn…
With that ending, how civilised is ‘the taking of a biscuit and tea’ to rephrase Eliot and I love how you used the whole elevensies thing for this Eleventh power poem
Thanks, Laura, I first thought of the Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day, but when I reread the prompt and saw it had to be uplifting, I had to go wwith this imaginary office…
Andrew, this was a great and merry poem! “we stop for tea
biscuits – bourbons, custard creams and digestives” Can’t forget the digestives lol
Your office seems pretty chill. What a lighthearted poem and great response to the challenging prompt! 🥂
Love this, Andrew! Great title and theme, it made me smile from the off. Tea and biscuits is the perfect elevenses for me 🙂 (mine’s a bourbon, cheers)
We need as many smiles as we can find or cause at the present Sunra, thanks for commenting…
Nicely done Andrew 👏 The enjambment works very well.