The Struggles of an Unemployed Father
A poem describing the difficulties my father has faced as a result of his unemployment for the past four years

“Every father should remember one day his son will follow his example, not his advice.” — Charles Kettering
My life is a roller coaster. My daughter is suffering from severe neurological disorders. My wife is suffering from thyroid and high blood pressure. My son is pursuing a pharmacy degree at college. I don’t know what I am going to do. I worked as a network engineer for more than 20 years at Guardian Life. Unfortunately, I had to sacrifice my career to care of my daughter. She can’t eat. She can’t talk. She is nonverbal. She suffers from over a hundred seizures a day. No one is there to take care of her. I have to do all I can to find treatments for her. I have to do all I can to ensure she has a future. I need to do whatever I can to support my family with the money I have earned throughout my career. I have to find a way to overcome this financial crisis.
On the other hand, I am scared my wife will collapse from a stroke. She is tired. She is stressed. I need to take care of her. I need to help my son pursue his dreams. Becoming a pharmacist has been a dream of his since he was little. It would mean the world to see him achieve this goal. I want to get back to work desperately, but I fear my family will collapse if I did. I’m in a tough spot. The only thing I can do is continue to move forward. Move forward with the hope that one-day things will get better. I don’t know when that day will come, but I can’t give up now. I believe that one day the light will shine for my family. I will wait for that day. That is all I could ever ask for.

Note to the reader: It’s been an enormous pleasure getting to write poems about my family. I dedicate this poem to my dad, Rajagopal Santhanam. He will never give up without a fight. My sister has been suffering from autism, seizures, and dyskinesia her whole life (18 years), and my dad continues to believe that she will feel better one day. I will always admire his ability to stay mentally strong in challenging circumstances. Thank you for inspiring me and many others, dad. Take care and stay safe.
If you’d like to read some of the poetry I composed about my mother and sister; links are below:
