Providing one suitable substitute

Planned it out with utmost care,

in his house, a room he chose

transformed it to an office suite

the secret idea didn't disclose

A table, four chairs, files, pens,

a laptop, a cabinet he had to fix

daily except Saturdays, Sundays,

sat there routinely from nine to six

 

After long years of Govt. service,

tough to adjust with d' family life

the fate of a sincere serviceman,

is precarious to deal with d' wife

Wife informally told him one day,

to take her to the nearby market

to buy some of d' essential items,

almost finished, she did indicate

 

Grumbled to d' verbal approach,

told to put a proposal on a paper

send the list of d' essential items,

whatever she wishes to procure

She made a list of d' twenty items,

the bulk needed for d' household

urgent, to be procured at d' earliest,

for d' family maintenance, she told

Submitted it for urgent approval,

d' officer gingerly scanned d' file

after vetting d' proposal remarked,

probed minutely, read it for a while

 

Because of d' austerity measures,

that be adopted post-retirement

the unwanted spent to cut down,

11 items approved for procurement

Rates of each sanctioned item,

collect it from any market local

further to be put up for scrutiny,

and for d' expenditure approval

 

Unless quality is up to the mark,

and the rates are reasonable,

liable to be rejected unless the

suppliers, genuine and reliable

 

Odd conduct, the wife, got irked,

and decided to leave him behind

will move to her maternal house,

the atmosphere, not of her kind

 

D' officer did insist, she applies

for a station leaving permission

to note d' address, cell number

and of course d' leave duration

 

Wife reluctantly did as asked for

probed d' notes, if he acted brute

d' station leave okayed subject to

providing one suitable substitute