On Getting Fired

by Tom Hatch

Packed two boxes from my desk
Narrowed it down to one
Then discarded it all but the
Pictures of the wife and kid
The silence of a pink slip
Actual it was silent because
I only got the raw pink coarse words
It's been a good run I was told
What will I tell the wife
I will tell her I got laid off
She will understand that
And maybe a little arm around the
shoulder of sympathy
Got my sack at the train station
Had some time to really kill
Climbed up in the shoe shine
Chair even the Honduran has a job
Shining my scruffy loafers
Might as well arrive home
In newly shined shoes
Then the wife councils
What's with the shoes
Tell me what is the celebration
I tip toe upstairs then
Slipped off my shiny shoes
Climbing into bed that
I will not have to get up from
In the morning
As I shut the blue door