Retirement Poem by Elena Plotkin

Retirement



My departure I was told needed to be celebrated,
Their loss I was told needed to be obliterated,
What better way than for us to get inebriated?
My tragic loss needed to be well commiserated,
They figured a golden pen, plaque, or watch.
God forbid a wad of cash or a good bottle of scotch.
A few fake smiles here, a few pats on the back there,
A few blank stares here, a few awkward hugs there,
Then finally a chance comes to drop all of the pretense,
What better way than to make a lot of jokes at my expense?
Suddenly unexpectedly their curiosity bursts from within,
And so the interrogation, excuse me thoughtful questions begin.
'What are you going to do now? 'they all want to know,
Apparently, I've become their private one person freak show.
'Is it finally over? Can I finally go? ' I foolishly ask.
They reply, 'It's only been three hours tsk, tsk, tsk,
You can't go just yet, not before we had the speeches? '
Oh yes, silly me, how could I leave before the speeches.
I have to give one too, "Ahem, my dear parasites and leeches,
Oops sorry, I meant to say, my dear boss and cohorts,
What can I say but time flies and life is too short,
Goodbye job—I can honestly say I have no deep regret,
This place of course will take many years to forget.
I really must say thanks so much to one if not all,
I anticipate it will be a burden to write or call,
But don't you worry I won't let this upset me,
Not after you threw me this great retirement party! "

© 2013 Copyright Elena Plotkin

Monday, May 12, 2014
Topic(s) of this poem: retirement
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Bri Edwards 22 March 2015

are you retired NOW?

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Elena Plotkin 01 June 2014

Bri, I wish I did retire at the age of 38. Who am I kidding I wish I retired at the age of 35. I wrote this poem after a typically hard day at work. This is me day dreaming about the fateful day. Besides I can tell you from my own experience that being an attendee of retirement parties is only slightly better than being the honoree at one. Anyway, I am glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for your comment and keep reading and writing.

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