Give me your order
Which I will fulfill
I'm nothing but a waitress in your eyes.
Tip me a quarter
And pay the bill
Allow me to shed this silly disguise.

For twenty minutes
You've been debating
Between cheese curds and strudel
For twenty minutes
I've been waiting
Knowing next it will be the chicken noodle.
“You should smile more,” you'd say
Or “We should go on a date.”
And then you gave me a wink
So I spat on your plate.
And in your drink.

Someday you'll see my name on a shelf
When I'm done with these minimum wages
You'll buy a copy of my book for yourself
You'll eat up my pages
And drink my words
But for now –
Just shut up and order the cheese curds.