
'Twas the night before crisis, and all through the house not a 
program was working, not even a browse.

The programmers were wrung out, too mindless to care, knowing 
chances of cutover hadn't a prayer.  The users were nestled all 
snug in their beds, while visions of inquiries danced in their 
heads.

When out in the lobby there arose such a clatter I sprang from my 
tube to see what was the matter!  And what to my wondering eyes 
should appear but a super programmer, oblivious to fear.

More rapid than eagles, his programs they came, and he whistled 
and shouted and called them by name: "On update! On add! On 
inquiry! On delete!  On batch jobs! On closing! On functions 
complete!!"

His eyes were glazed over, his fingers were lean from weekends 
and nights in front of a screen.  A wink of his eye, and a twist 
of his head soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, turning specs 
into code, then turned with a jerk, and laying his finger on the 
'enter' key, the system came up and worked perfectly!

The updates updated, the deletes they deleted, the inquiries 
inquired, and the closing completed.  He tested each whistle, and 
tested each bell with nary an abend, and all had gone well.

The system was finished, the tests were concluded.  The client's 
last changes were even included!!  And the client exclaimed with 
a snarl and a taunt, "It's just what I asked for, but it's not 
what I want!!"

