CATCH MY DRIFT

a patch of blue
haloed in a golden fleece
breaks courageously through the slate grey cloud
after several weeks of letting go of my focus
of letting it float adrift from its moorings
i struggle to rein it back in
i have made a commitment
i am due to give a business presentation
in the august surroundings of the bmi
(birmingham & midland institute)
the audience is a bit of a mystery
but likely to feature a few fellow starter-uppers
i set up my laptop and get to work
struggling to pull together the threads
of what i want to say to these sceptical strangers
doubtful of my ability to speak from prompts
i script the message word for word
i start with some guidelines:
Simple
Unexpected
Concrete
Credible
Emotional
StorieS
i factor in my two-metre-high banner
which will act as a visual hook
at first i can't see the wood for the trees
but once i get going i get going
for starters
i introduce the simple three-pronged message
which i will be repeating throughout:
save money
help the planet
live better
for the emotional
i toss in a reference to my 40th the day before
linking it to 2043
the year hannah reaches 40
an excuse for showing the photograph
of an innocent little schoolgirl in reception class
the symbol of the future generations
whose fate lies in our hans
for the unexpected
i cite the depressing mounting evidence of cc
and suggest we might as well enjoy what's left
while we can
of course that's a rhetorical device
to argue that there's too much at steak
(just think of hannah's future)
then i ask who is going to take the lead if not us
at this point i want the audience to suggest
the government (wrong)
big corporations (wrong again)
technology (wrong a third time)
no it's us who have to be the change we want to see
then i return to the three-pronged trident
it's a bit of a no-brainer really isn't it
there's just one problem
the maize of contradictory advice can make it difficult
and that's where green b's come in
for advice on reducing the fuel bills
minimising yer environmental impact
leading a healthier more satisfying life
look no further!
here's where i bring in some stories
a quote to add credibility
and some concrete examples
and hey presto
a bit of editing and i'm done
i print the whole thing off
and make it into cards
small and unobtrusive enough to hold in my hand...
the bmi
all wood panelled walls n high ceilings
the weight of history hangs heavy
i arrive sweating from a cross-town bike ride
but the audience is fairly small
and when i stand up to speak
i'm surprisingly calm and assured
it's good having the banner to gesture at
but there's one thing i'm conscious of
i don't know what to do with my free hand
i probably end up waving it around too much
but i get a few laughs
some questions at the end
and when i ask who is going to take the lead if not us
a chap pipes up right on cue with 'the government'
why thank you kind sir!
afterwards a jamaican fellow approaches me
he wants me to come round
to give him a second opinion
on his plans for renovating his place
eureka!
the holy grail
at long last
my first proper customer...