061915   061924

Joe Venskus with bad teeth and imposing belly stature
was courageously incompetent managing software engineers
he performed the requirements for my job
exhibited himself reading a core dump
which he couldn’t do and
hired me to work in his group 
though I didn’t know programming in C.
We accepted didn’t squeeze his vulnerabilities and 
answered his off-hours calls
he took the overtime pay and we took the calls.
Joe moved his family from inner-city Lowell
to a new colonial with bedrooms for each his own
commuting to Boston in his Chevrolet truck 
a dually with double rear wheels and work-ranch torque.
He had a girlfriend unknown to his wife
his leg bounced rapidly on the ball of his boot
such was his perceived good luck 
it was easy to discern in a meeting with him
he’s thinking of her with a gourmand appetite. 
Joe told the executives of a spin-off start-up team
they’d pay more to keep him with them
so they dropped his name with relief.
I liked him 
he never intentionally harmed.
My colleague as a caricature 
those years working with Joe
he deserves more.