The Janitor

A poem about Gomer Hines, the Evergreen Elementary janitor.

He cleans the hallways
as the kids pass him by.
Trying to ignore his greasy hair,
and his lazy eye.

I’m talking about Gomer;
Gomer Hines to be exact.
Evergreen Elementary janitor,
as a matter of fact.

His keys jingle
when he walks down the halls,
scrapping chewed gum
off the desks and walls.

And if someone was to ever
spill a tray in the lunch room,
Gomer would come over
and clean it up with a mop and broom.

The children make fun of Gomer,
and point and laugh.
Making fun of the only member
on the custodial staff.

They treat him awful,
this man who cleaned their commodes.
As they stuffed paper towels
to make them overflow.

Be what should he do,
this poor, pitiful sap?
As he takes this punishment,
and cleans up all their scraps.

At night when he
lays aside his broom,
he sleeps on a cot
inside the boiler room.

“One day the kids
will see that I will do them no harm.
I may be ugly as sin,
but I wasn’t born in a barn.”


And until that day comes,
Gomer will continue to clean,
all of the messes
for the kids that treat him mean.