I Became a Writer Accidentally on Purpose

When I was ready to make choices concerning my career path I was surprised to find that some choices were chosen for me, based not on what I could do, but for what I couldn’t do. 

When it was time to make a career choice,

I had to decide who I wanted to be,

For each occupation has its own voice,

And I wanted the spotlight shining on me,

Career Choice #1

I loved languages and I took great pride,

Spanish, German, and Latin were on my list,

If I said I was diligent in my studies, then I lied,

But I enjoyed language structures, and I insist,

That some of the sounds tangled my tongue,

Until the day I ventured into the language lab,

When I heard the teacher describing to everyone,

(My recorded voice was booming and I felt his stab),

He remarked, “He’s terrible with his pronunciations,”

I had other career choices, this one wouldn’t be missed,

So cross off language translator from my list,

Career Choice #2

I often woke up excited about the new day,

Songs would be bursting from my lips,

Carpe diem! It didn’t matter work or play,

The whole world was at my fingertips,

Perhaps singing would be a great career too,

But that thought was soon nipped in the bud,

When my career in singing all fell through,

Ostracized and disgraced, my name was mud,

In mid-song the choir director brought us to a halt,

She loudly announced, “Someone’s off key,”

“We can’t sing this cantata because of someone’s fault,

I wasn’t worried because I knew it wasn’t me,

Then she said, “That voice is on this side,”

She put us in groups to narrow it down,

Finally she was next to me, and I couldn’t hide,

She said, “I’ve finally located that awful sound,”

I could still sing for part of my everyday fun,

But I knew my singing career was totally done,

Career Choice #3

Like many high school boys I was ready to perform,

I wanted riches and fame, my name up in lights,

I did very well in sports, I was ahead of the norm,

I knew what was expected, I’d even wear tights,

My teams weren’t exceptional, although we did well,

One championship or two, the stats weren’t great,

If I would go to the next level, only time would tell,

But I found out the results of my professional fate,

“Son, there are a few factors holding you back,

“You need to be bigger, stronger, faster, just for a start,

And if you had a lot more talent the money we’d stack,”

So, no pro sports for me, just break my heart,

Choice number three was out of my league,

I was tired of losing but I wasn’t fatigued,

Career Choices (To be continued)