Retirement Poems

Irish Retirement Blessing

May you always have work for your hands to do.
May your pockets hold always a coin or two.
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.
May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

Happy Retirement

Happy retirement days are here at last.
The days of toil and stress are long past.
I worked almost all my life so that I can play.
Do I want to go back to work?
Absolutely, no way!

The Day Has Arrived

The day you thought you'd never see,
Has finally arrived.
And despite whatever you once believed,
Gosh darn it, you're still alive.

You managed to survive your working years
And retirement shines before you.
Your spouse can nag you full time now,
And your kids will still annoy you.

Yes, these will be your golden years
To live life as you please.
You can play golf and power walk at the mall,
At least until you give out at the knees.

You can take up painting if you like,
And spend all day painting flowers,
That is until your hand cramps up
After holding the brush for hours.

Don't worry about getting dressed every day,
You've earned the right to stay in your pajamas.
All you have to do is turn on the TV,
And watch your afternoon dramas.

Sometimes life may get a little boring,
Especially when you've no place to be.
You can take up exciting hobbies,
Like doing puzzles or watching birds sit in a tree.

Yes, retirement has its highs and lows,
But there's one thing not to be forgot.
As long as you're above ground and not below,
Retirement's the better of the lot.

By Kelly Roper

Morituri Salutamas

Age is opportunity no less,
Than youth itself, though in another dress,
And as the evening twilight fades away,
The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day.

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Today you will retire,
And a new life will begin.
May you have the time to do all you want,
And may you feel the joy within.

By Julie Herbert

I love to write poems,
So I wrote you a few poems you see.
But I found it hard to choose which one,
I would express my feelings for thee.
My poems should share my congratulations,
And how excited I am for you.
My poems should tell you how proud I am,
Without the overdue.
So here's my poem to you.
All my poems wrapped up into one.
Congratulations on your retirement,
May it be filled with adventure and fun.

By Julie Hebert

A Teacher's Wild Ride

You're retiring from teaching,
So, hold your head high.
As you proudly proclaim,
That you somehow survived.

Smug attitudes, disruptions,
And homework excuses.
Fart noises, spitballs,
And gum chewing abuses.

The challenge was real,
But the rewards are true.
As you realize all that
The kids learned from you.

You can smile and be happy,
It's been quite a ride.
Never forgetting those days when
You just wanted to hide.

Still, you hope you made an impact,
You hope for the best.
But now you are ready for
Some well-deserved rest.

It's hard to believe,
That it's time to depart.
But every one of those kids
Will be forever in your heart.

By Julie Kirk

Teacher Time Check

It's a time check like no other,
When you teach for many years.
To see your past students
Sporting mustaches and beards.

It's hard to believe your students
Have now grown.
And have moved on to careers
And families of their own.

When did this happen?
There's just no way.
It seems like it was
Just flippin' yesterday.

But the final bell has rung and
The pencils are down.
You will miss each of your students,
Even the class clown.

You'll retire happy with a few
Grey hairs atop your head.
But they are there to remind you
Of all the students you led.

All those years of teaching,
It's hard to believe.
The fun and frustration,
That's so hard to leave.

But it's the last day of school and
You're exhausted and weary.
It's time to move on
Before you get teary.

It's been a long road
And at times certifiably crazy.
Now it's off to the beach
To relax, unwind and be lazy.

Now That You're Retired...

Now that you're retired,
We can spend more time together.
Why you can drive me everywhere,
Through all kinds of weather.

We can listen to the radio
When you drive me to the mall.
Drop me off at the door when it's icy,
So I don't accidentally slip and fall.

When it's raining you can drive me
To my best friend Sheri's house.
Or take me to the dry cleaner's
To pick up my favorite blouse.

When it's cold and windy, pick me up
And drive me home from school.
Just don't park too close to me and my friends,
Because they think that parents aren't cool.

When it's sunny you can drop me off
At my favorite beach.
Don't worry, I'll call you when I'm done,
So be ready and keep your phone in reach.

I can't wait for us to get started
Hanging out now that you're retired.
In fact, I'm sure there's more we can do,
You really have me inspired!

Retirement Verse

For both of us know as we retire
We can do anything we desire,
There's time for us every day
We start to get in each other's way,
We love each other there's no doubt
Travelling together out and about,
Having interests of our own
Has helped us to have really grown,
We have a lovely family together
So our lives are bonded forever,
Looking back would anything change
Answer is no, that would be strange.

Inspiring Retirement Verse

No alarms to set,
No deadlines to meet,
You can relax when you want to,
Take the load off your feet,
You can sit in the sun,
Read papers all day,
The world is your oyster,
Time to do things YOUR way!

Challenges Of Retirement

Retirement is like becoming a new mother,
Without the hassles and challenges of raising a child
You feel like you’ve been thrown into a different life,
Far from what is familiar and wild.

Don’t worry if times feel strange at first,
You’ll soon find your way.
A little soul searching is all you need,
Then you’ll certainly be more than okay.

Julie Hebert

Ulysses

Come, my friends,
‘Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.
Tho’ much is taken, much abides; and tho’
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved the earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

By Alfred Tennyson

So many worlds,
So much to see and do,
So little seen
and done by others,
means many more things
to be seen and done
by extraordinary you.

By Ernie Zilinski

Time To Cheer

You’ve done it, you did it,
You're finally complete.
No more alarm clocks or early mornings,
And schedules are obsolete.

Now its time to do only,
The things you love to do.
Leave everything else at the door,
Its time for your interests to pursue.

So enjoy these next few days,
Where things will feel kind of weird.
But don’t worry that will fade away quickly,
And soon after all you will want to do is cheer!

Time for Retirement

Retirement is a time
For making the most of being alive
For you to live some dreams out
When a new lease of life can thrive
A time to do all those things
That you always wanted to
Retirement is a special time
A time long overdue.

Get Back To Work!

Retired is being twice tired, I've thought
First tired of working,
Then tired of not.

An Ode to Old Age

There's quite an art to falling apart as the years go by, And life doesn't begin at 40.
That's a big fat lie.
My hair's getting thinner, my body is not:
The few teeth I have are beginning to rot.

I smell of Vick's Vapo Rub, not Chanel #5;
My new pacemaker's all that keeps me alive.
When asked of my past, every detail I'll know,
But, what was I doing 10 minutes ago?

Well, you get the idea, what more can I say?
I'm off to read the obituary like I do every day;
If my names there,
I'll once again start - perfecting the art of falling apart.

Expiration Date

With reluctance, we announce that
(Name) has reached her expiration date.
To remain here employed with us,
It's simply just too late.

She knows that we'll all miss her,
Well, at least a little bit.
For as much fun as we've had you know,
Sometimes she could be a twit.

But we jest, it's all in good fun,
And we're sure she can take a joke.
Just watch out friends in case she gets mad,
'Cause we've heard she packs quite a poke.

In all seriousness, (Name), you know we love you,
And simply want to say,
Good luck with all your future holds,
And happy retirement day!

You're Retiring Today

You're retiring today,
And we want to wish you well.
It may seem like you still work here,
But a few signs will surely tell.

No more coffee cup rings
On sub-standard reports,
And when you're feeling surly,
We won't hear your spicy retorts.

Your cubicle will no longer emit
That oh-so-familiar smell,
Of stale coffee, vapor rub,
And day-old Taco Bell.

And when it's time for a meeting
A tear will surely come to each eye,
When you're not there to plop down in a chair,
And heave a bored and world-weary sigh.

But let's not dwell on what we're losing,
Because you're surely better off.
Have fun wasting time off the clock now,
And think of us fondly while you're goofing off.

Have I Got Plans for You!

Bet you thought your working days were finished,
Now that your retirement has arrived.
I've waited years to see this day,
And my to-do list has multiplied.

All those jobs you said you'd get to,
Once you could finally stop working,
Have piled up high as a giraffe's eye,
Say, why are you sputtering and jerking?

The living room really needs painting,
And that garage isn't going to clean itself.
And I think your den is just the place,
To put up my new figurine shelf.

Let's talk about the backyard,
It has been an eyesore for years.
You should re-sod it and plant a few trees,
Hey, why are you welling up with tears?

I guess you must just be so happy,
To be starting your retirement this way.
No wasting time feeling bored and useless,
I've enough plans to keep you busy each day!