As my pen writes about certification
Of environmental management systems,
My mind pictures the beauty sitting
Near enough for me to feel
The depth of mysterious eyes in which
I would love to drown.

The requirements for a list of
Harmful emissions and waste products
Mean less to me than the words
Hiding behind her silence.

That smile that appears
All too rarely is an ever present
Watermark on the page on which I draw
A diagram showing the cycle
Of continual improvement.

And as part of me listens intently
To a bearded lecturer with a PhD
Talk about ways in which to
Achieve certification, my mind's ear
Attempts to play back even just
A few of the small collection of
Words I once heard spoken
By that soft, calming voice.

I would much rather spend
My Tuesday mornings tracing
The threads of light from which
Her soul is woven than learning
The process by which companies can make
Their environmental management effective.

But while I would love to find out
Just how wonderful she really is
Behind that downcast face,
I am stuck with knowing that
ISO14001 is further reaching than BS7750,
But less stringent than EMAS.

01/20/2003

Posted on 01/22/2003
Copyright © 2024 Richard Vince