It's funny.
Not haha funny,
Not LOL funny,
Not ROFL funny.
It's ironic, really.
Back in high school,
The junkies,
The kids always sneaking off to have a smoke,
They were the burnouts.
Fast forward to now,
To the working class.
The burnouts are the ones
Who are overworked, stressed, exhausted.
This is where it really gets funny.
I wasn't a burnout in high school,
But my friends were.
I don't know where they are now,
Haven't seen or talked to them since graduation.
But now I'm the one who's burnt out.
A single mother,
A mentally abusive ex-husband,
An unhelpful family,
A job that doesn't respect me.
I cook,
I clean,
I help with homework,
I go to work.
I juggle four positions
And get paid for one.
The lowest of the four.
And now we're given raises,
The first in a year and a half.
It's scarcely a raise for me,
Not enough to make any real difference.
But I've seen the list,
I've seen what everyone else is getting.
The underperformers are being valued,
Their raises higher than mine.
What's the point in trying anymore?
Why should I do more than necessary?
I'm completely burnt out.
Sure, I'll keep doing my job,
But only the bare minimum.
I'd tell you not to take it personally,
But in this case,
Do.
Maybe you'll learn.
Probably not,
But until then,
Good luck keeping me for much longer
And when I'm gone,
Good luck finding someone
Willing to put up with this.
