THE HEAD OF THE TABLE; DECODERS W.R.N.S.
Reading edition
EVERY day at ten to three, Be the weather wet or warm, I doff my identity, And assume a uniform. Clad in this I sally out, Cause considerable stir, Order nobodies about As becomes an Officer; Freeze the surreptitious smile With a chill severity— Longing all the weary while For the unregenerate Me. But when my release is earned And I am at home, secure, My identity has turned Unexpectedly demure. Why? I enter rather late And My manner when we meet, Seems, I fear, to indicate The repentant indiscreet. I, thus tantalized by Me Spend an irritated day; Now the question seems to be— What goes on when I’m away?