An elderly man, thin and shaky, consults and engineers/His strong but quavering voice from the stand/Lists many accomplishments behind heavy black-framed glasses

He analyzes failures, how the world comes apart under stress/He explains how a ceramic vase breaks when dropped to a hard surface/Based upon his Doctor of Science degree from MIT

He drones on about his storied life of scholarship/His emeritus retirement now showers him with ten times his professor pay/And he rescues former students from embarrassing design mistakes, ever the teacher

He’s figured out how metal holds bone pieces together, except when it does not/When plaintiffs call him to explain the fault/As all problems must be blamed and all life’s disconnections made right at law

He proudly mentions Who’s Who and other wondrous achievements/Until we forget why we are here today/The clock’s hands spin and we still haven’t gotten past his credentials.