It never occurred to me
It might be
a bloody struggle
to land a job
during a crisis
of a labor shortage
I find myself
still on the outside
of that internal mainstream
that seems to have
an easy time of it
maintaining a better credit rating
than I ever could
I ain’t that blessed
I get told
I’m overqualified
or reading Mark Twain
means I don’t need to eat
some places don’t believe
I would want the job
They know better than anyone
they’re offering a shit job
and you get so
you wouldn’t even care
if it were a shit job
just so long as it entails
you earning a paycheck
to feed that jones
and my sloppy look
disguised my discerning brightness
that makes me less worthy
than the derelict
just learning to read and write
and my attitude
might stink
and I just might not
have a single clue
to what’s going on
but I learn the lines
as they always promise to call
but it makes me feel so small
as each step forward
is betrayed by one step backward
“What are your career objectives?”
“What’s your desired salary?”
and I know they really
don’t want an answer to the second one
I think we all know
that one deep down inside
“Are you going to school?”
“Why didn’t you go to school?”
I intend to
as soon as I’m back working
and earning some bread
my needs
are rather spartan
and I have been
compared to a mule
as I carry a heavy load
with nary a complaint
from trusted comrades
so I take a train
or a bus
I wear holes in my shoes
and torment them no end
it seems to be
about all that is left
12/24/99