‘Coming up next’
On T.V. two phrases I find hard to take
Are - ‘And coming up next’ and ‘After the break’
I don’t need to know what it is that comes next
All flashes and gimmicks and special effects
Just leave me to ponder. Please don’t spoil the fun
I don’t need to know. I am really not dumb
I have an attention span. Please grant me that
I’ve not got the minuscule brain of a gnat
Even the news tells us what is to come
With ten second clips. What a pain in the bum
We’ve heard this man speaking a moment ago
The same clip is played again. Why? I don’t know
We’ve seen the volcano already my friend
The M.P. , the criminal, tax dividend
In sixty shorts seconds we’ve seen the whole lot
In soaps and in dramas they divulge the plot
And long movie trailers what’s left to reveal?
The best clips are shown and it isn’t ideal
Why not let us see how the stories unfold?
And ‘Coming up next?’ We don’t need to be told
What’s missing in all this? Let me summarise
The feeling of pleasure we get from surprise
