9 to 5

This is one of two pieces that came out of a discussion of a coworker today, and it was jotted down in a Tim Hortons later that evening. I like snippets of it so I thought I would post it (then I can finally have some recent work up here!), but it is by no means a finished piece.

You put in the hours,
stayed late,
took on extra work
for something you despised
because facing your fears
and finding something you loved
might take a while.
And you just didn't have the time.
So you filled your life with the 9 to 5,
with the things you had to do,
but not the things you wanted.
You spent your weekends looking at things you'd never have
because you'd never reach for them.
You built a family,
filled a home.
The American dream.
And you told yourself that's what you wanted.
And you endured.
You put on a brave smile for your kids,
but they saw through.
They learned that life can let you down
and never thought to reach for their dreams.
You put in the hours,
put in the years,
and when you made it through,
you thought you'd finally get to enjoy this life.
But then you had to watch your children
put in the hours,
stay late,
take on extra work,
for something they despised.
You taught them to struggle,
to fight through the pain.
But you never told them they shouldn't have to.