I Waited Tables In My Youth
The women are balancing.
A dancer in her pink chiffon
on one leg, performing.
The waitress her bar tray,
several mugs, serving.
The men, smoking, drinking,
ignore the women dancing,
balancing, serving. The
waitress is looking, staring,
scrutinizing, not the men
she is serving nor the dancer
performing. Her gaze is fixed,
rivotted firmly nailing the
rival, the ex-lover, the brutal
husband, the raucous patron
in place. She controls with
her efficient dance of auto-
matic movements, gestures,
looks, dialogue. The pub is
revolving around the wait-
ress. Invisible like gravity,
she holds everything in place.
I spent most of my free time during my Junior and Senior years in high school waitressing. After high school, I went off to college so I could become a professional 'someone'. While I've enjoyed a variety of occupations and accomplishments, this was one of the best jobs I've held.
