She orders
seven hundred dollars worth of merchandise
for Christmas for her pets.
Yells at me when I can’t hear her
spell “Misty” and “Sparky”
for the matching personalized doggy PJs
because my headset is wonky
and drowning in static,
and the boss won’t give me another one.
I press my hands to the headphones
and take it, apologizing, advising her
about sizes on merchandise I’ve never seen
as if I care about this, because for some reason
I do, I want her to be happy, want her
to buy more for the commission I’ll make if she does
so I make it up and keep a gentle tone
even though I’m so ready to be done with her
and her cherished pets, Misty and Sparky
with their obvious names, a couple of Black Labs,
probably sleek and shiny and well fed
without being overfat, who will soon be getting an extra run in everyday
on their new bridle leather harnesses
then sleeping in their new cedar framed twill cushioned beds.
If you want to understand why I listen
to punk, barking and snarling loudly all the way to work
and all the way home,
this should help.
Dark Matter 
December 1st, 2009 at 7:37 am
thanks for sharing that.
Seriously, it was bumming me out.
My nest egg is frying in the same pan brother.
November 30th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
its a shame someone as talented as you has to work at that job.
Van Gogh said- if i am not great now i will never be great for corn is corn whether city folk think it grass or not.(pretty close anyway)
you are corn!
November 30th, 2009 at 11:54 pm
It’s OK. I don’t mind. I have my own business, which is going through a seasonal rough patch right now and which should pick up in the new year as it always does. A number of bad breaks beyond my control depleted the nest egg I usually have to get through this season, so I took a part time job at the call center to make ends meet. No shame in that, even though the job isn’t all that challenging…you do what you have to. Between that and payments for readings and performance gigs, I’m ok. Might be fdifferent if that was all I did, I admit.