Poem--The Pink Slip

“Dispensable”

What a harsh word
To describe someone
Who has carried the burden
Of the vagaries of corporate management
With little complaint;

What a cruel term
To eliminate the weak link
That has succumbed
Under tremendous strain
Of over-performing.

What a callous anomaly
That it was the desire
To become critical
That burnt him out,
And made him
Expendable.

What a tragic-comedy:
That a little piece of paper
Becomes a guillotine
To sever ambition and worth
In a simple stroke;
And all you are left with
Is the word:

“Dispensable”