Serving

you take your first job

and you’re on time the first day

and then you start to show up late

and your boss,

a bad man who’s going bald,

begins asking

why you’re always touching your face

and corners you

asking why your hands are always dry

when you leave the bathroom.

but after a few months

the coworker with the ass

has ridden in your car

and you’re relaxed

and smooth while taking orders.

the job has become second nature

and at the end of your shift

you begin taking boxes of beer

out the back.
because when you’re serving,
you're always a few pegs removed

from the bigger things,
the responsibility

the top

so it makes good sense 
to get fired

and get the hell out of there.

it’s not logical,

once you’ve been a server,

ever to be one again.

but if you're the type that's accustomed 

to pretending to wash your hands

and taking boxes of beer 

out the back, 
you'll find

it’s not exactly logical 
doing anything else 
either.