The Humphing Of The Quark

I once saw, as my head did droop,
A hydra mired in alphabet soup.
Yet 'ere the monster could escape,
Fast it strangled on red tape.
Only then, rather than drown,
The beknighted bumpf brigade climbed down
From off it's back, and off of ours,
Returning to their ivory towers,
The City, Whitehall, courts of law,
The banks and even Channel 4.
Would that they had been the last,
But bureaucrats come thick and fast!

Institutions are the nest
Of this infernal, venal pest.
Trifling, stifling, now they're rife
In most every walk of life,
Crushing the spirit for their part,
Smothering joy, faith, science and art
In pinstripes, paper, pen and ink
- Cutbacks and kickbacks add to the stink -
Extinguishing each human spark:
Humphed the bard and humphed the quark!