dishpit

sorting at the back
of the industrial dishwasher
with the boss
a special needs worker
and his counsellor

i dump hot water
on the boss twice
the second time
I'm obvious

he screams and
throws a metal
pie holder at my head

I block it
with a grey
bus pan

so he slaps me

"now we're even."

I laugh and agree

the special needs guy stares
and his counsellor looks away.

Plates

The white dinner plates were placed in a hot room the night before a major function.

That evening on a signal from the boss, I would grab yellow rags, walk rapidly to the hot room, and pull a rack of five hundred plates, stacked in twenties, hundred per shelf out of the hot room and head back to the kitchen.

The wheels didn't always turn so well on those racks.

They pretended there was a big rush for the plates but there wasn't so i used this excuse to go really fast down the long hall and scare the banquet staff. I never hit anyone.

The reason I mention this is the hot room was like a dry sauna.