She’d decided, two months
After giving up her ’87 Olds
Too costly to fix
One month after her boss
Told her she’d soon
Be released from her job
Which she’d had for
Many years with kind folks
Who’d gotten to be like her family
She’d felt comfortable
In her home away from home
Were she a cat
She’d have purred
But job loss wasn’t the worstt
Her final report said she
Didn’t play well with others
Too emotional–poor judgment–didn’t
Complete tasks quickly enough
Or too many mistakes
Didn’t display creativity–
but her job hadn’t offered her
the chance to be creative–
she also got a bad mark for
not doing what the boss wanted
because she had a better idea
And the agents liked that better
Poor concentration, poor memory
And she lacked a pleasant
Optimistic attitude. He also
Said others she worked with
Were reluctant to ask her for help
Those very others she’d thought
Had liked her as though they
were family. She realized now,
a dysfunctional family.
At the end of the report the
Boss added something to the
Effect she just didn’t fit in
There–or any other office
With "normal" people. Reading
Again the report late one night
She was so distraught she
Thought she’d cross the highway
Between her bus stop and the
Office without checking the
Traffic. But then she decided
She wanted to live. Life still
Had too much to offer. She found
That she enjoyed being on her own
Schedule, rising when it was light
Out, not answering to others,
doing what she loved. Or "her own
thing" as they’d say when she was in
The sixth grade. She thought
There’s got to be more to life….
Than paper clips and sticky notes,
Rubber bands and paper reams,
Copiers, postage meters and fax
Machines, and the general daily
Grind. She didn’t miss getting up
And going to work before dawn,
And coming home when it was
Almost dark in the winter–
A stressful, fatiguing routine.
And then she decided that there
Was wisdom in the boss’s words.
He’d brought up signs that she’d
Been having problems. And she agreed
For for years she’d known something
Was amiss with her–with her extreme
Mood changes and emotional displays
That had been untreated for all those
Many years–she’d thought she could
Handle them on her own. For having
been labelled "Learning Disabled" in
Her youth, she’d wanted to be "normal."
But going it alone didn’t help–
For as she’d found it was
Full of dangers and pitfalls.
She decided it was time to start
Healing. She worried about how
Much this would cost, but found
A doctor who didn’t charge much
So now she’d getting the help and
Meds she needs. Life still isn’t
Perfect–she still isn’t up to
A job–but now she hope she’s
Finally on the right road.[/
