Manners

 

Manners

 

good morning

common courtesy in situations

or simply ‘morning!’

the sound that shares the reality

cafe noise radio song

it is an unavoidable fact

treat good morning familiarly

with welcome freshness

avoid sounding overbearing

ditto flippant insincere

intimate friends entirely

may dispense with this formality

 

good afternoon

highly appropriate on the phone

sets the tone and puts at ease

hello or a smile may suffice

though between nodding acquaintances

a hearty handshake

 

good evening

you are at risk of sounding posh

good not to gush

better to offer some cheery words

best move on quickly to the next subject

recount the day’s events

without going overboard

sip your drink slowly

 

good night

rhymes with out of sight

time to pick up where you left off

the novel unputdownable

goodbye at parting

is also unobjectionable