In the early light, when I have trouble rousing from bed,
I remind myself: it’s time to embrace work.
As a human being, what are my grounds for complaint?
In my essence, I’m born and destined for work.
As an American, the path to claim your slice
of the red, white, and blue demands hard work.
Each challenge, an opportunity; every endeavor
a rung on Adam’s invisible ladder to work
your way up to your true potential, to ascend
and find salvation through the toil of work.
Woven in the filaments of my fate, tangled in
the strands of my DNA, the duty to work
first shift, second shift, midnight shift, split shift,
part time, full time, overtime, or temp work.
Hourly shackles, seasonal serfdom, hired gun
assignments, the juggle of work/
life balance are all items for the CV
cataloging the arc of my life’s work.
And, at the conclusion, Conan, ask yourself:
Did you attain your dream? Did you do the work?
Photo by Josue Isai Ramos Figueroa on Unsplash
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