Keeping Standards (Poetry)

What happens in the servants’ hall —
relations below stairs —
at times unsettles one and all
and catches unawares...

When the butler takes a shine to more
than brass or silverware
the boot boy knows his place for sure —
is certain not to stare.

The chauffeur’s set his cap upon
the Irish parlour maid.
Persistent charm has wooed and won
her kisses — match well-played.

The gardener and cook became
a subject to ignore —
no mentioning by nod or name
their trysts behind the door.

The housekeeper and the head groom
exchange a certain smile
and disappear into her room —
such ‘talks’ go on a while...

The gamekeeper flirts every chance
with the red-headed nanny
despite at last year’s Christmas dance
she waltzed with Master Danny.

Every stable lad it seems
has someone in their sights
and every maid’s romantic dreams
console her lonely nights.

There is no rota for affairs —
liaisons come and go —
the politics of changing pairs
an intrigue few should know.

So much suggested — little said —
just scraps and the odd bone
to keep the downstairs gossips fed
while facts are left alone.

Small scandals sweep the servant’s hall
to shock their well-starched airs
yet standards stay respectable
so nothing’s said upstairs.