The Employment Struggle Poem by Erika Heslop Martin

The struggle,
The toil, the depression, the frustration,
Striving towards self actualization,
Life can be so hard,
Set goals,
Work towards them,
Obstacles in the way.
Go to school to get educated,
Get educated to get hired,
Get qualified, but there is no suitable job,
Ideas come flushing,
Start a business.
Hustle in the midst of the bustle,
Business needs capital
Business needs a push start.

Apply for many jobs,
Get called for many interviews,
Too qualified you are,
Employers can’t pay you,
Under experienced you are,
Employers pay you what they want.

Tired of being unemployed,
Take the job with little or no pay,
They think you are competent,
But, they want to reduce their expense.

Question,
Will you take contract work?
The employers ask.
You want the job, you need the job,
You need some money,
You have financial obligations,
You don’t want to steal,
You don’t want to kill,
You don’t want to sell your soul to the devil,
You just want to be a decent law-abiding citizen,
No idler, no bum,
So you say: sure,
Contract work they call it,
You are now a temp,
You get paid until they say when,
There are no benefits,
Just the raw pay,
And you are taxed just the same.
Your place is temporary,
So you just go with the flow.

Be punctual, be nice, dress professionally,
Work hard; work late if you must,
Misery, frustration a part of the struggle,
Perseverance, hard work and determination,
Creativity, innovation, enthusiasm,
One day you will be, out of the employment struggle!