Burning

Seeds of hot peppers

Are mild compared to your sly

Ego burning me

___________________________

I wrote this haiku about a former co-worker that over time, embedded themselves under my skin. I was seething with rage when I worked with them, but now that the dynamic between us is no longer, I linger on the memories and feel sad. I realize I wasn’t appreciated much by this person, and feel very misunderstood and rather invisible, with no hope of redemption. The suffocating egos I’ve experienced and endured throughout my career working as a cook is staggering. Not to say that gender plays a role in being ego driven, but it was mostly male egos that always seemed to end up hurting me the most. The food industry is dominated by males, so it makes sense.

If you related to this today, you might find something valuable in this poem:

Thank you for reading!