Thursday, July 12, 2012


On a hot afternoon, this waitress chose the only quiet spot 
to smoke and check her text messages, in the alley
between the building and a delivery truck.
I think, if people could, they'd be lying under the trees
like dogs, on their sides trying to cool their bellies,
suit jackets and ties askew, attache' cases carelessly
flung down. Oh, yeah, that's what bars are for, where
the people lap up martinis and beer.


The temperatures have finally broken, and are down 
to a more "seasonal" 80 to 85 degrees,
rather than the previous 90 to 105 degrees.
However, we are still enduring drought conditions
with no relief soon. The grass is turned to
straw, the corn crops are endangered, which means there
is less food for cattle, as well as endangering
other food crops.

2 comments:

dive said...

She looks like she needs a break, Speedway. Waitresses are your own version of China's sweatshop labour; their pay and conditions are like something left over from the eighteenth century.
I love ths shot. I'm fascinated by America's … er … back alleys. We don't have them in Europe; we don't have the space. To us on the far side of the Pond they seem to exist just so movie makers can fill them full of empty cardboard boxes and film car chases.
And waitresses can sneak a break.

Speedway said...

Having been a waitress for a few years I can agree, yes, it is very hard work. Luckily, I had a terrific employer who treated his staff well. I was, of course, paid nothing, but with the tips I made it was the only time in my life I've had money in a savings account as well as spare cash for little extras. (Of course, that was long before the tax man started following wait staff around to verify their incomes.) About 30 years ago, I knew a woman who worked hard waiting tables to put herself through school, get her masters degree, etc. When she applied for jobs in the field for which she had been trained - administrative positions req the master degree - she was offered less than her income as a waitress. I think she eventually ended up in restaurant management, and with a doctorate in same. I didn't care one bit for that woman, but I respected her for the sacrifices she made to get her education.