Emotions
The Meeting.
Part 1: A poem in the series “Unemployed, oh no!”
happiness is to be a successful teacher and administrator making a difference in the life of teenagers and teachers that is your career aim.
Gazing through the open office window the air is filled with break time laughter, boys are playing ball with a lot of shoving, laughter, and banter. girls are watching the game discussing cool and very trendy things teachers milling about keeping a watchful eye.
The office phone rings cutting shrilly through the break time clatter You dread to answer, you expect the worse. Why? Change is on the horizon — you know — you feel it in the hushed corridor conversations The pandemic impacted on student numbers and school morale….
The office phone keeps on ringing and ringing and ringing ….
you rush outside to ‘partake’ in the bantering adding to the sunny kid smiles listening here to some teen wisdom causing a smile, attending there to bantering getting out of hand, smiling, pretending, keeping your mask in place.
Your mobile phone rings ….
Ignore it to listen to a silly joke shared in a teacher group The phone continues to ring and vibrate dancing in your pocket — ringtone reaches a crescendo
The mobile phone keeps on ringing, and ringing, and ringing … Dread fills your whole being like a washing basin overflowing.
Hello, “Can you come and see me asap?” Sure, I am on my way.
An ominous smile as you enter Some chitchat, nice weather eh? Just get to it, please? You beg silently — Sorry, I have some bad news.
Oh, no!! Keep smiling…come on…you can do it!
Slight eye contact, a whisper like voice cutting through your bones, ‘Your post will be redundant…
I am sorry…’ And, just like that, you are unemployed! The shock roll through you like storm waves — You did not expect that not after a lifetime of service
What-are-you-going-to-do? A tear runs slowly and silently over your cheek. Your world tilted skew heading into an unknown dark tunnel. Unemployed…. oh no!
“Unemployed, Oh No!” — A Series of Poems Part 1: The Meeting — A poem about the emotional impact of losing one’s job. Part2: Broken — An emotional reaction to becoming unemployed. Part 3: Depression Chains — The effects of depression in my daily life. Part 4: Light — Therapy for depression helped to see things differently.
