After reading my contract of employment.


Formula For Grief

For a child's death,
Four days
Is a period of time
Sufficient, says
The employer
To recover enough
From the loss,
To re-tough
Back to working strength
And be no harm
To production
Or to sad-facedly cause alarm
To fellow workers.
The first day for shock,
The second for acceptance,
The third to take stock
And the fourth to prepare
To return to work
Without
A shirk.

For a parent,
Husband or wife,
Three days is all that is needed
To re-brace for life.
A sister or brother:
No quibbling –
The employer of your soul
Declares: two days for a sibling.
For an uncle
Or an aunt
Employer-dear
Simply can't
Allow more
Than a half-day off
(For the funeral):
You're allowed more for a cough.

If you need
More time to grieve,
He kindly lets you take it -
As unpaid leave.




Poetry by Mark J. Wood
Read 631 times
Written on 2008-05-22 at 14:06

dott Save as a bookmark (requires login)
dott Write a comment (requires login)
dott Send as email (requires login)
dott Print text


Phyllis J. Rhodes
So relevant and so well written. This really captured my heart and mind. A great work.
2008-08-20



This is the level of empathy and respect that employers today deem as suitable in the whole Western world, a world that prides itself of its democracy and of its Christian roots.
Well written!
2008-05-23


Elle The PoetBay support member heart!
It seems so clinical when put in those terms - a well written poem

Elle x
2008-05-22


Peter Humphreys The PoetBay support member heart!
Thank you for posting this, Mark. In a world now seemingly run by those who seek to measure the unmeasurable, what meaning can their formula for grief have when grief can last a lifetime and the person for whom we grieve may be not be kin but simply someone who touched our lives with love?
2008-05-22


Kathy Lockhart
Mark, this struck a cord with me because of the grief i am going through now after Michael's death but also because of the experience I had with my employer 8 years ago when my niece and her two children were murdered. I took 3 days off of work thinking I had them paid. However, because there was just "one funeral" I was only paid for one day. How cold hearted can you get?! So you can see how i do identify with your message here.
2008-05-22