Insult to Injury (Part I)

Three part Poem; this is part I

Laid up with a twice broken leg,

It’s been two months out of commission

too long.

 

I just got laid off from I job I hated in the first place

this afternoon, promised they wouldn’t contest

my unemployment filing, ironic.

I’d  worked the most overtime during my two years,

 to get the least recognition,

the smallest bonus,

and fired after I’d covered everyone else’s a*s

when they took a leave of absence, paid no less.

 

Everyone pats my head and gives me condolences.

 

They offer cliché advice about how it’s all for the better,

these are blessings in disguise or

can I hear the opportunities knocking…

and to remember to let go, let God

because positive thinking brings positive outcome!

 

Maybe the rent being late is a good sign of things to come.

 

Late fees and possible eviction might force me to move out,

move on and see what’s really out there for me.

 

Maybe the overpriced car payment with ridiculous interest

was a bad decision, and while I’m f*****g my credit anyway,

who needs a car, I’ve got no job to go to, and pretty soon no

home to come back to, I’ll need to sell all my belongings on the lawn

in winter (which will go over well) so there’s nothing to haul.

 

Again, who needed that second-hand piece of s**t, I mean man,

the windows weren’t even automatic, the doors didn’t lock themselves,

It was a disaster waiting to happen, frankly.

Reviews

[Emily B]

I read an article in the doctor's office the other day that during the economic downturn people started taking chances, leaving jobs and spouses, moving to new cities, trying new things.

Funny to read articles like that when after 16 years, my past is coming back to haunt me, offering me second chances at a life I might have led.

I don't have any piece of s**t advice. My job sucks. I hate it mostly. But figure I need to keep the health insurance.

[.]

. oh, this is brutally beautiful ... i know this feeling of going around in circles and coming back to square one ... and people should be banned from belittling real pain ... in my last job ... i fought with the CEO of a company that has nearly 50,000 employees worldwide ... suddenly my mother was diagnosed with stage 3B cancer (she's recovering now) and i resigned ... still, i kept struggling with this, that and the other ... finally, last year ... i came to a stop ... as in zero miles an hour ... it is only now ... almost a year later ... that i have figured out what i need to do ... so that the universe does not get the better of me ... and i don't suffer interminably either ... it was tough ... but what was toughest was throwing everyone's expectations out of the window ... and then actually thinking on my own two feet ... about how i might like to stand on my own two feet ... other than my best buddy and our ability to laugh at pain (both of us have a really black sense of humour) ... there was no support ... my family is extremely skeptical ... anyway, balancing oneself in this unkempt universe is the toughest challenge of all ... can and never should be belittled ... courage helps ... but it needs to be inspired rather than imposed or demanded ... i was lucky ... my best buddy always inspires me ... just like you ... with poignant and unforgettable poetry ...

[Ron]

Very gritty, painful look at the USA when hard times arise. Fascinating look from the UK where benefits and free healthcare would ease Lola back to work. I do not like swearing in work but here I understand it in this case and it is relevant as desperation bites. Good poem in narrative. My British heart throbs in sympathy for the writer!!