The Secretary's Lament

I used to feel so wanted; every company needed one
If they wished to be quite sure they got their letters properly done;
From the smallest to the largest, they really need us,
To make sure things went smoothly with the minimum of fuss.
My shorthand was so speedy, I quickly filled each page,
For minuting big meetings, my skills were all the rage;
My spelling was quite perfect, my punctuation too;
Faced with awkward grammar, I knew just what to do.
My knowledge of each company, its history and its wares,
Was equalled by my knowledge of its secrets and affairs.
My bosses knew I'd be discreet, befitting their right hand,
As I typed all correspondence, I had to understand
Much was confidential, and I knew well that I must
Ensure that many things I knew with others weren't discussed.
Many saw as a kingpin, around whom all revolved,
The one with all the knowledge to get every problem solved.
Not just a shorthand-typist, though such skills were in demand,
By every firm of any size in almost every land.
But times then changed and in the end the secretaries got the sack,
Replaced in every office by a PC or a Mac,
Which every boss could operate, thought rarely quite so fast,
And now the days of secretaries are firmly in the past.