Halted, under shadow of a last town hall,
Some whispered, and, lying easy, were at ease
And, finding comfortable postings and positions
Carelessly slept.-----------------------------------
But many there stood still
To face the stark, blank reality beyond the 5th,
Knowing their role might come to the end at ConocoPhillips.
Marveling they stood, and watched as low oil prices swirled
By the October breeze, market murmurous with doubt and uncertainty,
For though the past spring promise of deep-water had oozed into their veins
Like the injected drug for their companies exploration pains,
Sharp on their souls hung the imminent conference room calling,
Fearfully flashed the HR behind mysterious glass.-------------------------------------------
Hour after hour they ponder through warm summer—
And whilst distant memories of $100 oil left behind, where once heavy oil could sanction
Where even at high-cost the organization would not yield,
These projects now clutched and clung to the company like sorrowing hands;
They now must continue on like trees unstirred.----------------------------------------
Like a cold gust thrilled the little word
At which each body and its soul begird
And ready them. No alarms
No Mark, no direction, no clamorous haste—
Only came a WARN and flurry of town halls that faced the hard truth-------------------------
So, soon they darkened the door, and walked corridor together
With bear market against them; and soft sudden loss
Opened two thousand for their COST; and the organization
Chasmed and flattened.--------------------------
Of them who left to leave those that last org chart place
Leapt to a swift unseen brighter future, or went up
Onto retirement leisure and rest,
Or took the plunge and moved away toward brighter horizons past this world’s verge,
Some say it was fate that caught them even before they fell.----------------------------------
But what say such as from existence’ brink
Ventured but drave too swift to sink.
The few who lasted past those long October nights
And there out-fiending all its fiends
With superhuman inhumanities,
Long-famous glories, immemorial shames—
And crawling slowly back to their office, have by degrees
Regained cool peaceful air in wonder— for now
Why speak they not of comrades who left in October?