Civic Band Legend – Continuity and Courtesy Bands

The system records the excused,
So data is properly used.
Though no one is there,
We count every chair,
And leave the true total refused.

The funds were declared as a goal,
Before we examined the roll.
The ledger relies,
On optimistic sighs,
And prints out a negative whole.

We sorted the smiles as a fee,
And taxed the ensuing decree.
The room gave a nod,
Which pleased the new god,
Who charges for civic degree.

The bodies are here in the space,
I printed the forms for the case.
The hands will just raise,
In a bureaucratic haze,
And finish the requisite race.

The ghosts are marked present at nine,
According to legend’s design.
The seats remain cold,
But stories are told,
Of forms that they managed to sign.

A clap in the back of the hall,
Has prompted a general recall.
The sirens have blared,
For a promise unshared,
And brought the whole state to a crawl.

The money is hoped to appear,
The target was set for the year.
The box was left blank,
To send to the bank,
The filing has finished right here.

Four bands are defined on the screen,
To show what the integers mean.
The numbers reflect,
The facts we elect,
To keep the bureaucracy clean.