I love his use of broetry. It’s a trend on LinkedIn to feed the algorithm with line splitting to add length to content. But this is Substack, the home of literary masters who appreciate cogent prose. Therefore, in an effort to help him out, I made his broetry at least rhyme.

——

When I greeted my coworkers the other day,

Not a single one had a word to say.

I wondered if I was somehow to blame,

But a talk with a colleague put light to my shame.

I’m an engineer, out in the field,

Last week in Kentucky, to soil samples I kneeled.

I arrived, said “hello” to the drillers around,

But not one of them made a welcoming sound.

I shrugged it off, didn’t feel much care,

But I wondered if something about me was unfair.

So I asked a friend what might be the case,

And he told me the truth with a solemn face.

“They labor hard in the sun and the rain,

While we watch from afar and reap much more gain.

It’s grueling work that’s tough to bear,

And they feel it’s unfair that we’re standing there.”

Hurt people hurt others, that’s just the way,

What we project often keeps our own pain at bay.

So when someone’s behavior seems rude or cold,

It’s likely a tale of hurt left untold.

Don’t take to heart what they do or say,

If it’s harmless to you at the end of the day.

For actions reflect what's felt within,

A reminder to us to not take offense on a whim.