A friend of mine explained to me,
This stunning new technology.
You tap, he said, and then you book
Or buy, or send, or simply look.
A chip, he said, inside the phones
Safe as houses, free from clones.
‘Come with me, I’ll change your ways
I haven’t needed cash for days.’
We went by train, to take the strain
He tapped and waved and swiped in vain.
We paid in cash – but just this once.
He took me to an early lunch.
The waiter came, gave him the bill
He waved his phone quite near the till.
The waiter frowned, I had to pay
In cash – there was no other way.
And still he talked of NFC
‘They’re beta testing, do you see?’
And as we went, he tapped and talked
And waved and swiped, and still we walked.
No bus, nor train nor bank nor shop
Would take a tap, but did he stop?
On we went and then we found
Just inside the Underground,
A kiosk that said ‘tap right here’
But then it said ‘please try next year.’
We soon passed by a rubbish bin.
He stopped and dropped his phone right in.
He waved, then tapped a solemn dirge
That seemed to say he’d lost the urge.
And as we walked into the night
I wondered when they’d get it right.
