Good Workers
by Gary Johnson
Let us praise good workers (you know who you are)
Who come gladly to the job and do what you can
For as long as it takes to repair the car
Or clean the house – the woman or man
Who dives in and works steadily straight through,
Not lagging and letting others carry the freight,
Who joke around but do what you need to do,
Like the home caregiver who comes daily at eight
A.m. to wash and dress the man in the wheelchair
And bring him meals and put him to bed at night
For minimum wage and stroke his pale brown hair.
He needs you. "Are you all right?" "I'm, all right,"
He says. He needs you to give him these good days,
You good worker. God's own angels sing your
praise.
Let us praise good workers (you know who you are)
Who come gladly to the job and do what you can
For as long as it takes to repair the car
Or clean the house – the woman or man
Who dives in and works steadily straight through,
Not lagging and letting others carry the freight,
Who joke around but do what you need to do,
Like the home caregiver who comes daily at eight
A.m. to wash and dress the man in the wheelchair
And bring him meals and put him to bed at night
For minimum wage and stroke his pale brown hair.
He needs you. "Are you all right?" "I'm, all right,"
He says. He needs you to give him these good days,
You good worker. God's own angels sing your
praise.
Wonderful prose by Johnson and so timely in these days where work ethics seem to be sadly lacking.
ReplyDeleteGreat choice for the start of the week. You made my Monday better. Now would you please bring on Friday?
ReplyDeleteI'm back to work for a new semester, and this really put a smile on my face.
ReplyDeleteI had an engineer who loved to see traffic at 5 in the morning. It was all the productive people in life going to work.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the silent majority?....smiles.
ReplyDelete