trying out yet another new prompt site this week,, called blog friday,, and they offered the prompt ignorant,,, and you know i always have something to say about that……
the apron does not make me stupid…
i am not here because
my limited mental capacity
precludes a higher paying
or more socially affluent
source of employment.
i am not here
because i am a student…
i am not
just working here
till i get a real job..
so your attempts to school me
in the fluency
of your bad manners
or the blatancy
of your ignorance
is time wasted..
i am here,,
because i made
a conscious choice
to be here
i decided to for go
the quest for all things material
and to focus my efforts
on that which
i have found
has real meaning-
if only to me….
i chose to spend
three days here,,
taking orders from you,,
making your sandwiches,,
doing whatever
is in my power
to make your time here
pleasurable-
so that i can stay home
four days a week
and be
who i have always wanted to be…
a writer,,
a poet ,,
an artist,,
a dreamer….
so please
do not suggest
by the way that you speak to me,,
that you have decided
that i must be
socially inferior
or intellectually deficient
(as why else would anyone be here?)
because to do so,,
only incites my feelings
of empathy for you,,
and those like you
and if the truth be told
i have no real desire
to feel anything
at all
for people like you…
photo:
http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs16/f/2007/195/1/e/strawberry_milkshake_by_mighty_bunny.jpg
May 2nd, 2008 at 5:58 am
I hold waiters and waitresses in very high regard. It’s a hard job, especially dealing with ignorant people. I appreciate that they’re there to let me kick back for a little while. They deserve more respect, not less.
jason evanss last blog post..Under the Willows, Part 8, Final (narrative poem)
May 2nd, 2008 at 7:01 am
paisley,
I’ve been a farm laborer, a bartender and a waiter, a nurse and a nurse anesthetist.
The truly ignorant don’t differentiate by your job, they are just ignorant.
btw fyi, i appreciate that you spend more time with us than with them!
Rock on girl!!!
rel
rels last blog post..
May 2nd, 2008 at 7:27 am
I wondered how you’d end it and was not disappointed! Very powerful statement of independence! When my daughter was in about 5th grade she announced at dinner one ngiht that she’d figured out what she wanted to be when she grew up. A waitress! And she is! I so admire her for doing what she enjoys and remaining true to herself!
linda Jacobss last blog post..Cowbird for TOP
May 2nd, 2008 at 7:32 am
i am here,,
because i made
a conscious choice
to be here
thank you for speaking these words for me…if only the management and the guests can hear me say this…but then..i just can’t..
life…
bitchyangels last blog post..nostalgia
May 2nd, 2008 at 10:18 am
Oh, i have had some feelings for those people
Lots of feeling
Very intense feelings
Most of which had something to do with clocktowers and high powered rifles
ozymandiazs last blog post..The Prayer of Bearmom
May 2nd, 2008 at 11:07 am
Very well expressed Paisley. No one should have to justify what they chose as their work, whether it be for years or for a couple of months. That’s one of the great things about getting older (and a bit wiser!!!) I don’t care anymore what other people think. When I started heading down that useless train of thought (it can still happen) I put an end to that, in short order (no pun intended).
Being a waitress is a very tough job and thank goodness there are people with the patience to ‘wait on’ others in life.
Geraldines last blog post..Many Mirrors
May 2nd, 2008 at 1:13 pm
I am actually considering this for myself…except waitresses generally do not get medical benefits….
meleah rebeccahs last blog post..Pick A Lane
May 2nd, 2008 at 4:16 pm
your whole poem is so nicely written and ‘put-together’…the meaning behind the words is true, so true. i have just pretty much gotten to the point where i just ignore people who feel the need to comment on anything that they know nothing about–especially in an ignorant or derogatory way. and, my daughter is coming home from college next week, but doesn’t want to be a waitress because she is afraid it is too hard and ‘more work’ than she can do!! so if you are a waitress, consider that a compliment–because i know it is hard work. i was a waitress every summer from my junior year in hs through college, and it is NOT for the weak.
May 2nd, 2008 at 4:30 pm
My husband always says you can tell what kind of a man someone is by how he treats waiters and nurses. I like the poem.
By the way. I have no clue which of your many blogs to respond to, so I just pick one…or two…or sometimes three to look at and then throw my comment any where. I love the pictures on this blog.
Lilibeths last blog post..May Day Madness
May 2nd, 2008 at 5:32 pm
You’re badass.
Greybeards last blog post..going down (and not the fun way)
May 2nd, 2008 at 6:22 pm
As a gift, every waitress should have this pinned to his/her uniform… as a mantra. Few people work harder for their tips than waitresses. This was clever, and so perfect.
May 2nd, 2008 at 7:02 pm
that was awesome! very powerful and kudos to you for doing what you love.
Leigh Lears last blog post..I feel like I could collapse….
May 2nd, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Great piece, Jodi. It’s always difficult for me to discern if you’ve actually experienced what you write about or not. I suppose that’s what a talented writer can do with most any subject!
dans last blog post..I am….
May 3rd, 2008 at 12:12 am
Oh your silver tongue, love this, so clever, so good.
Jos last blog post..Miramon
May 3rd, 2008 at 7:01 am
I don’t understand why people still don’t get it.
May 4th, 2008 at 12:25 am
Yay! Well done. Well said. And right on!
Corinas last blog post..Angels
May 4th, 2008 at 5:41 am
I know how you feel, I get treated the same way a lot of times. It is so frustrating. This poem describes that feeling so well. Great writing!
Janes last blog post..On Credit
May 4th, 2008 at 9:43 am
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS POST!!!
May 4th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
I was a waitress for many years and experienced a lot of prejudice particularly re. my intellect, so I know exactly what you mean. Not all of us want to be corporate lawyers or brain surgeons. I wish people could see that. Excellent post, Paisley. A reminder that you certainly can’t judge a book by it’s cover.
Selmas last blog post..May Day, May Day.