I have been at odds with my printer recently. The only way to get it to function was to uninstall it, and then re-install it. Not the way to get printing done in a hurry! I wondered how it felt to be a printer …
SELF-PORTRAIT AS A PRINTER
grey with white buttons
and inexplicit instructions 
I wage incessant war
against those
who desire copies
scans or photos
I tear crumple
regurgitate paper
– – – or spit ink
pinch fingers of users
who poke ‘okay’
when they mean ‘reset’
confuse ‘black’ with ‘colour’
threats in terms
of flashing lights
mean nothing so
I run out of ink
at crucial moments
or announce ‘not connected’
which may not be true
but means I don’t have to work
To Bethlehem: ‘This little book is delightful, full of … poems on this timeless subject. … the most fun is the little prose vignettes of the common people in the Christ-child story. The slave who looks after the wise men’s camels, or the overworked maid at the inn who has to fetch water for the birth, and many more. A lovely gift for the reader on your Christmas list!’ Rosalind Adams. Available from Amazon and Kindle.
1960willowtree 