Thank You Letter to My Employer

You have always been such a patient employer.
I could never complain that you paid nothing.
No other job has ever made me feel so useful.
You never told me
I was too old for the position
or not old enough.
I was not hired or fired
for my education
or the length of my skirt.

Even when I began working for you
cliché with daggers through my bleeding heart
and red all around,
you told me it perfect
because it was real for the time.

You told me that my best ideas come
when lying down
just about to sleep
or on vacation
or sitting around
mulling over the stars.
And like me
you distrusted dress codes
and cubicles.
We were a perfect fit.

Then amazingly
you didn’t punish me
or even mind
when I just didn’t show up for work
for 5 years
too busy with another job
or my education
or a boyfriend
or children.
In fact, you offered me a raise,
celebrating these events
as experiences to be used
for career advancement,
should I ever choose
to return to work for you.

And I did.
I had to, of course.
There wasn’t much else that compared
or, truth be known, much else I could do.
You spoiled me.