“So…what do you do for a living?”
“I tell people where to go and how to get there”
is how I always respond…which is mostly the truth
as I’m a dispatcher for a trucking company
and part of my job is telling our drivers where
they’ll be loading or delivering and
providing them with detailed directions
“Don’t you wish you could work outside?”
And suddenly
I’m kneeling down beside a row of plants
with a long forked tool
to get down to the roots of dandelions
in order to remove them…
knowing that far too soon they’ll grow back
and I still have a hundred rows left to do
that I’ll never get to.
I can pretty much tell you
down to the second
how much longer I have to spend
picking weeds and
swatting horse-flies
before I can go home.
“Nope. I like my desk-job”
“Have you thought about sales?”
I’ve knocked on at least
a hundred doors today.
Can’t say that I’ve had any
slammed in my face…
…but pretty close!
And…it’s raining.
This morning I woke up sick to my stomach
because of this insurance selling job…
and that’s the way it’s been for nearly two weeks now
To make matters worse, this is strictly
commission, and I haven’t made a single sale.
I think I’ll call my supervisor and tell her,
I quit!
“Nope, I’ll keep this job. Thanks!”
I’ve had my share of miserable tasks
and maybe I’m not making
a six figure income, but
money can’t buy happiness
and happiness is worth
a fortune.
~~
Over at dVerse, Bjorn is having us use flash-backs in our poetry…so I decided to highlight a couple of horrible jobs that I have had (I could have included a few more, but I didn’t want to make this poem into a book)
Quest for Whirled Peas 
Wonderful.. I like that nagging interviewer, there.. Why not just stay where you are.. a desk job can be the perfect place to be, and weeding sounds about the worst you can have. I have picked potatoes once.. not a lot of fun in that.
Happiness is priceless! Nice flashbacks. And I love your title. I don’t know if I’m going to get around to writing for this prompt, though I like it, I just haven’t had time.
This is an excellent poem.. it has everything.. emotion.. a smooth flow through each scenario.. courage.. integrity.. and above all.. your noble thoughts.. I so do agree with you on the fact that money can’t buy happiness and it is worth a fortune!
Beautifully penned 😀
Cheers!
Oooh, bad jobs, yes….I LOVE the last 3 lines as they are beautiful truth!
I hear you man.
I worked the loading docks for years, landscaping. And I have made 6 figures too, but walked away from that – because it doesnt matter if you don’t love what you do.
Yes.. this just goes to show that there are at least some weeds to
pick in every cultural vocation.. and yes.. this stands true
for non-paid vocations as well.. like dance.. poetry..
and song.. there are weeds to
get in the way
of work
in
progress.. smiles..:)
You know I still work for an insurance company but not sales though smiles ~
I like the flashback to the other jobs and yes, better an office job, then being miserable outside doing jobs you are not happy with ~ And yes, being happy is happiness is worth a fortune ~
Yeah, had my share too. Lots of fun designing waste water drains or….back in the day, autopsy photographer. But it is true, money can’t buy happiness and happiness is wrth a fortune. Those last lines say it all. A desk job aint bad esp. If you can leave it at the end of the day and love one your family….priceless!
i love the way you’ve incorporated other jobs as flashback and who won’t agree that “happiness is worth / a fortune”…
I really like this poem! I particularly enjoyed the title. 😀
Oh there is much tryth in your lines!
Go for it, make it into a book! Your descriptive powers are such that everyone would read it.
Great poem.
I too, like Viv, would like to hear more… Excellent flashbacks and ready answers to those who claim one lacks ambition. I’ve spent many a lonely birthday or holiday in a hotel room, or on delayed flights and snowbound airports, to believe that the consulting life holds any glamour…
so very true – better a job that lets you sleep at night with a calm stomach than one that ruins your health – no 6 figure income is worth that
I really enjoyed your the way you approached this post!
Agh! I’m having a bad typo day: I really enjoyed the way you approached this post!