1! ! ! ! ! ! ! Am Putting In My Papers! ! ! ! ! Poem by Mamta Agarwal

While filling the form for credit card
Against occupation I wrote am a bard.
The clerk said Madam, your real occupation.
I blurted, work in a small organization.

Very challenging, have to multi task
It’s actually, I think, too much to ask.
Am in charge of child development,
Accounts, house keeping and management.

Mouth open and ball pen frozen in mid air,
He gaped at me from his ergonomic chair.
Wow, you must so much power wield.
It’s a 24/ 7 job in lab and the fields.

Have to juggle like a clown in a circus,
Many hats…one thing, it’s not monotonous.
You know a real challenge to my ingenuity.
He looked at me with awe and incredulity.

Honest, am having signs of burn out.
Oh, understand tough job, natural fall out.
Am thinking of premature retirement,
It’s a position for life, am not buying the argument.

Time for van prastha in the lap of nature
As the sages advised in our ancient scriptures.
In a couple of days am putting in my papers
The show will go on, as I melt like a vapour.



Got the idea to write this poem after reading an email sent by a friend.