Ode an die IHK

Once, long ago, with hopeful cheer,
I signed a form – and landed here.
No courtship, choice, nor tender plea,
Just: “Welcome to the IHK!”

You never asked what I could do,
You never cared if profits grew.
You sent your bills, so neat, so stark –
A yearly bureaucratic bark.

No service felt, no help in sight,
Yet still you claimed your lawful right.
A silent partner, stern and gray,
That never once improved my day.

And so I labor, year by year,
With forms to file and dues to bear.
I practice patience, breathe, endure,
Of one bright dream I stay quite sure:

For far ahead, though still unseen,
A shining day awaits serene.
When work is done and books are closed,
And I, from duty, am deposed.

I picture it, that blessed hour,
When I reclaim my final power:
The Gewerbe ends, the stamp comes down –
And I remove your paper crown.