At work we used to report problems,
But now we’re asked to escalate them
To the person tasked with the repair.
During my childhood I learned the word
From the Evening News and,
According to Walter Cronkite,
Escalate always meant
More napalm, bombs,
And caskets coming home,
All of which seem a bit extreme
For the fixing of a link
On our company website.
Tony Gruenewald is production director of the Princeton recording studio for Learning Ally and author of “The Secret History of New Jersey.” For more visit www.tonygruenewald.com
