have you ever gone
into a restaurant
and asked your server
to take a pay cut
so your meal’d be cheaper?

have you ever gone
into a clothing store
and asked the cashier
to take a pay cut
so your clothes would be cheaper?

I’m not sure if labor is understood
when people ask me
for “a deal”
they’re asking me
to take a pay cut

I never try to buy something
unless I have the money to buy it
I worked so hard today
but if I calculated what my time was worth
I might be disappointed

again
this might be a vent
disguised as a poem
or it might be a poem
disguised as a vent

either way
it’s what poured out