Caren Krutsinger Poet Prose Poetry

Missed My Calling

We guidance counselors got to tour an engineering firm.
They were all set up for us, and made it lively and fun!
I had no idea until that day I had missed my calling.

The competition was on. We were given twenty minutes
And the exact same building materials – paper and tape.
Goal: Each team would try to build the strongest bridge.
At the end of the time pennies were dropped on them.

The engineers counted each penny as it was placed.
Eleven. Bam. Crushed.
Eighteen Bam. Crushed.
Twenty-three. Bam. Crushed.
They left ours until last.
I had no idea why. 

We were the four oldest women there, forty years older than the others.
The reigning champion bridge had lasted through 114 pennies.
They came to our bridge, and stopped counting at 312 pennies.
We old ladies were gloating and high-fiving each other, 
feeling like real engineers.
Best fun I have had in a long time!

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L Milton Hankins March 31, 2021 at 6:53 PM Wow, that must have been some bridge! I'd say you didn't miss your calling because you take more hits, probably, that that in a weeks time and still give out good advice! Caren Krutsinger March 31, 2021 at 7:16 PM We had so much fun. I really pushed the other three away and said "Let me do this!" and they were too fearful to stop me.

Quoth Theraven March 31, 2021 at 6:06 PM Caren, Enjoyed this one immensely, 312 hurrahs for the high-fiving bridge architects. I would traverse any that you cared to build. -Richard Caren Krutsinger March 31, 2021 at 7:16 PM We were gloating like assinine braggarts and we could not stop; it was horrible.

Ilene Bauer March 31, 2021 at 1:42 PM i hope this is true, caren! i can picture it perfectly and love the image that comes to mind... Caren Krutsinger March 31, 2021 at 7:17 PM It was true. I will never forget it, this must have been four or five years ago.

Robert Pettit March 30, 2021 at 7:35 PM Perhaps one of your ancestors designed and built the pyramids in Egypt. I enjoyed reading this. Caren Krutsinger March 31, 2021 at 7:17 PM I have a feeling I was an engineer in a couple of previous lives Robert.