The Numbers Game

There are 559 plates 4000 plastic cups stacked in 10 by 10 row crates,
about 10,000 utensils 600 bowls 354 pans and 3 coffee stains that lay across the blue and green tiles that cover this place,
I know because I took the 40 hours you give me a week to count them individually,
5 out of my 7 days I spend indiscriminately taking one dish after another out of a conveyer belt and by this time I do it instinctively,
4 of us in a room,
2 clear remains off a plate of dirty food and pass it through a machine with water heated to 150 degrees until it reaches the other 2,
2 is when we would go in break but the kids are still inhaling enough food to fill a crater on the moon.
One hour worth of heart beats, is worth ten dollars I,
Cut out 7.65 % for taxes,
because I mean someone has to pay uncle Sam right? Right
Can’t you tell that I hate..I mean love my job!
The hundreds of drops of sweat,
the vomit inducing aroma that wraps around my nose hairs causing my temples to throb.
I watch the faces of my watch facing me saying only 5 more minutes until your time is over,
Time and
So there is 559 no 558 since Jake just dropped another f***ing plate!
1000 sighs of disappointment and a million reasons why I need to get out of this God forsaken place,
But I need the money so I’ll be back tomorrow at 8.

Damani Piper