XXXIX
In these days of instant communication
Why on earth does it take so long
To clear a cheque through the system
Where do they go so wrong?
Messages fly round the world in seconds
In minutes you can contact Mars -
Jupiter takes a little longer and
Saturn - perhaps a couple of hours.
Thanks to the Hubble telescope
We can see solar systems form
Study the remains of supernovas
And watch galaxies being born.
We can receive radio signals
From far distant neutron stars
And there has been mention of
Greening and colonizing Mars.
We can put astronauts in orbit
Or send them up to fix a faulty fuse
While monitoring on a video
The health and well-being of crews.
We have a reasonable postal service
Web sites on the internet,
Satellite telecommunications -
Faxes, E-mails - and yet...
IT CAN STILL TAKE SEVEN DAYS TO CLEAR A CHEQUE
Written in 1997 - and has anything changed?
