Job Application
by: michael g.
This application I’m holding up tells me, "In 500 words or less, tell us why you think you are qualified for this job."
I don’t want to be a label. I don’t want to have a birthplace. I wasn’t made in Taiwan. I’m not 100% cotton. And I’m not 100% human. I’m not small, medium, or large. My manufacturer is not Ralph Lauren. And my manufacturers aren‘t my parents, either. I’m not black. I’m not white. I’m not Victory Blue. I’m not Championship Red. And I am NOT Green Envy.
My personal information can’t be found with a website address. My life is more than a dot-com. My happiness will not determined by a wedding ring. I don’t need a companion to feel like I’m worth something.
My life has no rules. There are no protocols. No quotas. No boundaries or restrictions. No expectations or regrets. I only exist.
My lifespan is not determined in seconds, minutes, hours, days. It is determined by accomplishment. Satisfaction. Fulfillment. When I feel proud, then I will die.
I will not die when life gets boring. I will not leave when life gets empty. Rather, I will die the moment after I discover the cure for cancer. That way, I will die with something to show for.
My life is not determined by banknotes, electronic numbers, or an ATM machine, spewing out guilt-free coupons of greed.
My day is not planned according to what a bus schedule tells me. I don’t re-plan the day so I can fit in a dentist appointment.
I don’t need to high-five someone to feel better about my accomplishment. I don’t need clever bumper stickers. I don’t need humorous license plate frames. I don’t need guilt to feel pity, and I don’t need love to feel sympathy.
I don’t need a favorite song to be with the in-crowd. I don’t need clever poetry to feel like I’m smart. I don’t need to live by other people’s philosophies. I don’t need your advice. You haven’t lived my life.
I don’t need a security blanket or a bulletproof vest.
I’ll never, ever wish for anything. It only sets you up for disappointment. So does hoping. And dreaming.
I’m not gonna wait up for you. Instead, you’ll have to catch up. I’m not gonna take my time and choose. Rather, I’m gonna take what’s there for the taking.
I don’t need to be reminded.
My feelings will not be expressed through grouped letters forming words. My life is more than just ink on paper.
I don’t need to share my problems with you just because you share yours with me.
I don’t need history to understand.
I’m not gonna waste my time with paranoia. I’m not gonna think about the better things I could’ve had, or the worse things I ended up with.
I don’t need to hunt bears to feel strong. My strength is determined by deeper things than killing animals.
MY LIFE IS NOT A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA. IT IS NOT A COLLEGE DEGREE. IT IS NOT A BUSINESS CARD OR A RETIREMENT PLAN.
I am not a name brand. My life is more than dots of ink forming letters forming words forming sentences. I am more than that.
I don’t need a word-limit to fill out an application. I don’t need this job. That’s 540 words.
back to writing
©2001 -mg-
