I wonder about resumes

I wonder about resumes

I wonder about resume's.
If I was told,
"You must get to the top,
be a supervisor, succeed,
build your resume"
would I buy into the frenzy?
Should I?

I wonder about my resume. 
What does it need to say
about my lifetime accomplishments?
And to what job
am I ultimately applying?
Can I take the resume with me
when I die,
or is it left for my children
to use as a road map for the future?
Their future? Or perhaps
it could be a list
of things to avoid in their future?

I wonder about this resume.
Perhaps I should list how many people
I've tried to influence,
or how many I've accidentally influenced,
by just being myself? Or not myself?

What about frequent job changes?
If my profession was writing,
should I list only my publications,
and should I write and only write,
afraid to pick up a paint brush,
for it might make me appear a bit
indecisive? Non-committal?  ADHD?

I wonder about that section
where you list your
charity activities, you know,
"active in this church or that,
mission work for a month in China,
Habitat for Humanity, everything
I'd ever done for someone else."
I know, perhaps I should write down
every pair of shoes or discarded clothing
I've donated to the Salvation Army,
with a receipt stamped and dated
in case the IRS needs proof? 
Is this required on my resume?
Or perhaps a note will do, one that says
"I gave what I had, when I was so moved,
but I lost the receipt. 
Guess it wasn't that important to me
afterall."  That would sound a bit
irresponsible and careless
to a future employer,
don't you think?

I don't know about all the rules
about effective resume writing. 
All I know is that life
is happening now, as I write this.
And I'd like to add on my resume that this poem,
ever so long and confusing, gave you pause.
That you will think of it when you have to choose
between wrestling with your kids
or checking your email, or between dancing
in a layer of spilled flour with a two year old,
or just rushing to clean it up. 
That perhaps you considered
that this resume, your resume,
could be held in the hands of a young graduate
twenty years from now, or sixty,
or long after you are gone. 

I wonder about resumes, mine, yours,
and what they would say
if they could sum a whole life up
on one 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper,
devoid of frills and perfumes, wrinkled,
folded up in a pocket with edges worn,
or delicately pressed
in a Bible (or a heavy encyclopedia)?

I wonder about resumes. 
Reckon I'd better starting living one
before it's too late. Perhaps,
I'll be too busy building my life
to worry much about what other people think
when they read my resume.

Oops, I forgot about the references.
Guess it does matter what people think
or maybe it just matters
what I have done
and what they will say about my actions
afterwards.

SWPoet
(Brandy)

Week 18
Free Form Poem
Poetic Explorations