Occupational Hazards: Poems About Work

By Jon Obermeyer

Some of these poems are based on jobs I've held, some are based on observation and family lore, while others were inspired by something that I read. The occupation of a door-to-door poetry salesman is totally invented. In childhood, I noticed that my father and other adult males established a social bond upon introduction by asking "what do you do?" or "what line of work are you in?" The question seemed to establish a baseline for validation and trust. Its probably been around as along as we've been a species of hunter-gatherers. My father at the time was a revenue agent for the Internal Revenue Service, which had to be a conversation stopper. But it was a career stepping-stone for him, and I'm sure there was a workmanlike routine to it, even with the death threats he received in the North Hollywood office. Before the I.R.S., he flipped burgers at Foster's Freeze and after that he became an operations manager for an auctioneer. Our neighbor Guy Gordon was a firefighter. Our family friend Mr. Borgeson worked in the grocery business (my grandfather had been a produce clerk at Von's). Across the street, Mr. Van Spanckeren was a psychiatrist at the Devereux School and Mr. Halleck was a high school basketball coach. This was in an era when men were teachers: Mr. Eyman was a high school welding teacher and Mr. Van Duynwick taught elementary school I wrote my first occupational poem while helping out half-days at my father's in-laws printing company, Kimberly Press in Goleta. I was fascinated in 1980 by the linotype operators. I'm sure the high levels of lead exposure would horrify me now. Around that time, I began reading the poems of Philip Levine, who is probably the most lyrical when writing about workers of his native Detroit. This book came about as I prepared to teach a creative writing course, which I titled "Occupational Poetry," culling your resume for new material. I dove into three manuscripts and found these twenty-one poems. I think the best one of the bunch is "Inside" and I am grateful to my long-time friend and collaborator Dwayne Newton for sharing his experience as a San Francisco firefighter. Our work defines us, and poetry has the potential to define the work. I believe it's a fair arrangement.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1722647949
• ISBN13: 9781722647940
• Release Date: July 2018
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 50 Pages
• Weight: 0.18 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"