ABORT, RETRY, IGNORE 

(with apologies to the Edgar Allen Poe poem, "The Raven") 
Once upon a midnight dreary, Fingers cramped and vision bleary, 
System manuals piled high and wasted paper on the floor, 
Longing for the warmth of bedsheets, Still I sat there, doing spreadsheets; 
Having reached the bottom line I took a floppy from the drawer. 
Typing with a steady hand, I then invoked the SAVE command 
But got instead a reprimand: it read "Abort, Retry, Ignore?" 

Was this some occult illusion? Some maniacal intrusion? 
These were choices Solomon himself had never faced before. 
Carefully I weighed the options. These three seemed to be the top ones. 
Clearly, now I must adopt one: Choose: "Abort, Retry, Ignore?" 

With my fingers pale and trembling Slowly toward the keyboard bending, 
Longing for a happy ending, hoping all would be restored, 
Praying for some guarantee Finally I pressed a key ---- 
But on the screen what did I see? Again: "Abort, Retry, Ignore?" 

I tried to catch the chips off-guard---I pressed again but twice as hard 
Luck was just not in the cards. I saw what I had seen before. 
Now I typed in desperation, Trying random combinations 
Still there came the incantation: Choose: "Abort, Retry, Ignore?" 

There I sat, distraught, exhausted by my own machine accosted 
Getting up I turned away and paced across the office floor. 
And then I saw an awful sight: A bold and blinding flash of light--- 
A lightning bolt had cut the night and shook me to my very core. 
I saw the screen collapse and die; "No, No, my database", I cried 
I thought I heard a voice reply, "You'll see your data NEVERMORE!" 

To this day I do not know The place to which lost data goes 
I bet it goes to heaven where the angels have it stored. 
But as for productivity, well I fear that it goes straight to hell 
And that's the tale I have to tell. Your choice: "Abort, Retry, Ignore?"