JIM BERRY

Middle-aged Jim Berry,

tended to the boiler

and

served as general handyman

at S.V.O.

On any morning,

autumn,

winter,

spring,

or summer,

you'd see him sitting

just inside the open doors

of his boiler room,

which formed part and parcel

of the north wing

of the main building quadrangle.

In a world

all his own,

Jim delighted

in toasting slices of bread

on top a wire basket

he held by its long handle

over an open boiler flame.

Jim never talked

with any boy or girl,

but generally went about

a scowl upon his face.

His fiery temper

was known to all.

When prevailed upon

by a nun

to leave his boiler room

to tend to a

maintenance problem

in some far reach of a building,

his cursing

and

swearing

was such

as to make

angels blush.

(September 1, 2002)