Friday, October 23, 2020

Poetic Blooming What's My Line?

 

Activity Director

 

Recently married, hubby and I

moved to Wheatland, Wyoming.

Half the population was Wheatland

the other half was a trailer park

filled with construction workers.

 

People from the power plant

warned us that the townspeople

didn’t like construction people,

but they welcomed me as a volunteer

in Activities at a nursing home.

 

I enjoyed playing games, making crafts

singing, dancing and going on outings.

And when one in the department moved

I was hired on as a regular employee,

and for a short time I ran it myself.

 

Planning, activities, paper work,

but getting to know each resident

proved to be the best part of the job.

I was attached to each one. But then,

the time came for the next power plant.

 

One evening, home alone, I mentally

went into each room saying goodbye.

Armed with a box of tissues, I cried

for each individual. Chances were small

that I would ever see them again.

 

When it was time for my goodbye party.

It was like just another activity. No tears.

We had cake and ice cream and they

gave me a copper water wheel music box

that played, “In the Good Old Summertime.”

 

Forty years later, I still have it.

 

 

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