Do Not Enter; Do Not Exit

A sad-faced little man sits all alone.
His pricey suit is wrinkled, and his tie
is loosened. He’s exhausted to the bone.
His once-bright eyes no longer shine. His sigh
is inward. No one hears his weary cry.

“For thirty years I’ve had the same career,”
he mumbles to his lap. “I’ve known success,
but failing health has wrought a gnawing fear
that I can’t persevere. My happiness
may hinge on new employment with less stress.”

The lavish lifestyle he’s accustomed to,
he wishes to maintain. He can’t retire,
stay home, read books, and watch tv in lieu
of working; but the next job might require
REAL people skills. His circumstance is dire.

For decades, from behind his smiling mask,
he’s been convincing clients that he cares
about their futures, that his most-loved task
is helping them succeed. He never bares
his real self. Now, alone, he sits and stares.

If he stops getting richer, he will lose
his fiancée, who’s shallow, just like him,
and money-grubbing. He knows he must choose
to move—that he must jump in, sink, or swim.
His vision of the future’s looking dim.

He’s like a man ‘twixt doors with taunting signs.
The “Do Not Exit,” he cannot ignore,
for his predicament it well defines.
The “Do Not Enter” sign afflicts him more.
“Now what?” It seems he’s questioning the floor.

There’s Much to Be Said for Porch Swings

My porch swing is a special place
where past and present intersect.
While swaying at a peaceful pace,
on days of childhood I reflect.

Where past and present intersect,
with eyes closed I soon drift away.
On days of childhood, I reflect.
I see three happy kids at play.

With eyes closed I soon drift away,
I think of yards with rope-held swings.
I see three happy kids at play
on carefree days the summer brings.

I think of yards with rope-held swings
while swaying at a peaceful pace.
On carefree days the summer brings,
my porch swing is a special place.

Janice Canerdy is a retired high-school English teacher from Potts Camp, Mississippi. Her poems have appeared in numerous publications, including Light Quarterly, The Road Not Taken, Lyric, Parody, Bitterroot, the Society of Classical Poets Journal, Westward Quarterly, Lighten Up Online, Halcyon Days, Penwood Review, the Mississippi Poetry Society Journal, Whispering Angel Books, and Quill Books. Her book, Expressions of Faith (Christian Faith Publishing), was published in 2016.