Packed in a train, crowded and stuffy
Laptop, FT, the first cup of coffee
Some exhausted from each long night
Some excited by the opportunity to fight
Driven, untiring, spiffy men
Smart young women ready to win
Real time data on each market each scrip
Coffee on the table, no time for a sip
Ferocious, data-spewing Bloomberg screens
Split-second trade orders that sound so mean
Bulls fighting the bears with hedges and floors
To profit on each trade, make earnings soar
Calling on clients with the perfect pitch
Exciting targets, great strategic fit
Synergies in revenues and costs to trim
Capital structures, designed to win
Large models with switches to show
Accretion of earnings and rich cash flow
Hectic days and long nights
Each moment spent on getting it right
Not a second lost, no time for a break
Lunch is for losers; we have much more at stake
Unending meetings and conference calls
If we bat an eyelid the world will fall
All the hard work notwithstanding
Every bank had a gruesome landing
Lehman, Bear Stearns and AIG
All hit the bottom of the sea
Bailout packages to the rescue
Funded from taxes, paid by you
Anxious policy leaders in every nation
Fighting rising deficits, economic stagnation
Solving for here, solving for now
To calm the panicked markets somehow
Quantitative easing, the raised debt ceiling
Safe-haven greenback now less appealing
Would it be better if we eased up a bit
Instead of chasing profts, taking undue risks
Enjoyed our backyard, played with the kids
Instead of stretching our minds and losing our wits
Save the sweat, the stress, the toil, the craze
Leaving the world a richer, safer place.
This poem has made my day today. And the world's all the better for it.
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