Accidentally on Purpose (Part 2)

Career Choice #4

I wanted a career that let me work alone,

Just let me do my task,

An occupation that was really appreciated,

Was that too much to ask?

With a few classes I could be an electrician,

With a few years of training I’d be set,

It was shocking what I discovered,

So I wasn’t ready to commit yet,  

I’d learn to be a responsible apprentice,

For maybe four years or more,

The idea was simply electrifying,

It thrilled me to the core,

I could be a great conductor,

Giving electricity a special path,

But I’d have to be extra careful,

Not to feel its burning wrath,

Then I found crawl spaces too small,

For my claustrophobic bent,

And spiders and snakes were not on my list,

Of things that were heaven sent,

So farewell to blueprints and colored wires,

And all things electricians do,

So circuit breakers and transformers,

I decided we were through,

Career Choice #5

I could handle deposits and lend out bucks,

So banking was a job I thought I could do,

What were my qualifications?

I looked good in suits and loved money too,

Interest on loans is a principal source of revenue, 

So can’t you see me sitting behind a door,

Trying to find ways to raise the interest rates,

Counting currency and saying, “More, I want more,”

There has to be continual communication,

Between customers and banking employees,

So financial needs are met with services,

As long as the bank gets its fees,

Secrets kept me from being a banker,

For there were records about payments due,

I had access to confidential information,

And I refused to divulge what I knew,

Career Choice #6

I thought about becoming a heart surgeon,

Oh, how important I would be,

If I could replace a worn out heart,

Wouldn’t everybody just envy me?

Well trained, dedicated, and extremely skilled,

Some of the requirements for medical careers,

The pay is good and I have a few weeks to spend,

Wait! You say after college there’s six more years?

I would work long hours if the nurses were cute,

But clinical rotations and residencies I’d be on,

By the time I was ready to start my practice,

Half of my life would be gone,

I guess I just didn’t have the heart,

To even start,

So kiss thoracic surgery goodbye,

I won’t even try,

(To be continued)

"Sweaty and Dirty"

Forgiveness is a Positive Virtue

She was trembling as she stood facing me,

Was there something she wanted to see?

Her hands were pressed against her chest,

Then I noticed she was cupping her breasts,

It was difficult for her to hide her fright,

Her small voice quavered ever so slight,

When she asked, “Are my breasts too small?”

She was exposing thoughts, fears, her very all,

She had pulchritude, talent, and intelligence,

Everything I thought was of the essence,

Her eyes searched mine hoping to find,

That I had forgiven her and made up my mind,

If I loved her, she needed desperately to know,

The question she posed was far different though,

I thought back three weeks to when we met,

The circumstances were very hard to forget,

I had been downsized with an economy shift,

Turned loose in the jobless current to drift,

“Overqualified,” they would say to me,

“That’s just the way it’s got to be,”

That was the response I got from several firms,

Saying I had a doctorate opened a can of worms,

I needed work to keep paying my bills,

I finally found work by deemphasizing my skills,

A hospital laundry kept me from going deeper in debt,

And I tried to remain cheerful with no regrets,

Yes, I remember the day we first met,

My shirt was dirty and I was soaked with sweat,

I expected to be alone while I ate lunch,

Usually treated like a pariah by the hospital bunch,

Smokers gravitated to me because I was dirty anyway,

But I sprayed a can of freshener as two smokers puffed away,

“What are you doing?” one howled in dismay,

“You’ve ruined our air and now you’re going to pay!”

I moved to another table to avoid further trouble,

That’s when two nurses arrived bringing trouble double,

The cutest nurse spoke up quickly, she didn’t hesitate,

“That was brave what you did. I think that was just great!”

The other nurse nudged her forward, “Hurry up, we’re late,”

The cute one said, “Would you go to a party?  I need a date.”

“I’m just a laundry worker,” I quietly said,

“Why don’t you ask one of the doctors instead?”

Tears dripped from those bewitching eyes,

At first I didn’t believe she could tell me lies,

“Yes, I’ll be honored to go with you,”

Why she had asked me I had no clue,

But a hospital nurse of stature and style,

Had stayed and talked with me awhile,

There had to be a reason behind her smile,

Was there something about me that she reviled?

Or maybe it was just a set up for a cruel prank,

I couldn’t think of anything positive, I was drawing a blank,

In spite of my misgivings, I knew it was only a date,

If I continued to be positive I would determine my own fate,

I told myself I was just curious, I knew I didn’t really rate,

But I had forgotten about my albatross, my gullible trait,

(to be continued)