tealjay

i get paid minimum wage and fifty cents an hour to

decide the line at which a customers complaints become reportable harassment 

give my coworker ideas to ease his cramps

and scrub dried bbq sauce

and smile

freeze and sweat

to crouch under the counter and eat a side mac while my coworker covers register 

to make weird noises at back of house

paid to blow my nose in a napkin and wish i could’ve found a cover

to politely chuckle at customers jokes and snort laugh at my coworkers jokes

to wonder if i’m a good or service

to cook clean and serve

to bag orders and up my emotions

to pee at convienent times

to run to the back to add a line to a poem on my phone 

to count down hours and minutes

to turn a blind eye to water cups full of sprite and my managers explicit text messages

to smell like rosa sauce and tobacco

to contemplate picking up smoking to get an extra break

to clean toilets and restock napkins

paid to change my tampon in a bathroom i should’ve cleaned better

and to spill parsley and drop dishes and break two different vacuums 

paid to calculate how many hours that tank of gas was

paid to miss birthdays and be late to christmas 

to ask my friends to schedule hang outs two weeks in advance

to come straight from class

or a previous shift

or from huddling over the trash can

to debate with my coworkers if spit or trash juice is worse to get on your face

to give and receive compliments 

to run out of rice crispies and patience

to bite my tounge and wonder if blood or fresca sauce tastes more bitter 

Get off tumblr.

AND GO TO BED