Ordinary Day

"Writers Cramp" challenge entry. Free verse poem.

Ordinary Day

My ordinary days begin with a whirl.
Get the children off with lunches and homework,
With a farewell kiss for my grumpy husband.

Then its off to crunch numbers in my cubicle home.
Lunch with the girls with soups and salads.
Breaks discussing families and that last five pounds.

Finally to home to supper with homework to finish.
A dinner gathering with us all retelling our day.
Then off to bed to start over again tomorrow.

But on this ordinary day while focused on my task
There was a low hum of excitement
Weaving through the cubicle maze.

My boss came up all dressed to the nines and
She stopped and told me I was up for promotion.
My skill and hard work had finally been noticed.

At first I was stunned and welcomed the news
As my boss and friends gathered ‘round with a cake
But for some reason an uncomfortable feeling grew

I looked at all who had joined the celebration
My friends congratulating me with sad smiles
In anticipation of our change in friendship.

Then I glanced at my boss and reviewed her life.
At work before dawn and home after dusk.
Divorced and alone with distant cold children.

My joy then deflated as I counted the cost,
And with a sad smile of my own I graciously decline.

Tina B
Line Count=26
Prompt: You’ve been offered a promotion, but in order to receive it, you must give up something important to you.

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