Wait Staff

we pile out between the kitchen 
and dumpster to catch our breaths 
reliving highlights of what seems 
critical to us and meaningless to them

we inhabit these moments for minutes 
can take them out and shake them 
until they’ve been shot through 
with enough laughter and indignation

to drown several steaks in butter 
and sometimes we get stuck on 
the inanities of the whole thing

having to run our dreams like 
worry beads through our fingers 
just to get off the stoop and hit the next shift 
the moon shining on us like bad television