By the Book

Every time I’m fearful of
 How what I do might look
 I write myself an email
 Saying “do it by the book”
  
 My work’s too vast
 To waste my time with conscience or reflections
 I’m glad, therefore
 I have a text with step-by-step directions
  
 And when I’m asked to bend the rules
 In ways too hard to swallow
 I use “the book” to call to mind
 The rules that I must follow
  
 I put it all it out in the light
 To show the way I’m going
 Honest, candid, and up-front
 In case my rear is showing
  
 The book I use in my career
 Was writ by Percy Shelley
 The book they use in Washington
 Was penned by Machiavelli
  
 Its pages give out great advice
 To deal with multi-tasking
 Which helps you when you’re juggling
 Both leaking and unmasking
  
 Or how to keep The Brass informed
 Of all leads you’re pursuing
 So they can plausibly deny
 Everything you’re doing
  
 These attitudes exemplify
 Our times’ disturbing trends
 Employment of deceitful means
 To reach ignoble ends
  
 The Founding Father’s wrote the book
 On Freedom’s care and feeding
 They’ve had no hand in publishing
 The books that we’ve been reading
  
 My thoughts on this are incomplete
 This poem is Just a demo
 Now that I’m done
 I think I’ll go and write myself a memo