Glass (Crank 2)

unusually friendly today.

Not a great thing on a day

like today. She chatters

about her grandkids, only half

the time the apples of her eye.

Today, to listen to her, they’re

angels with straight A’s.

Then she moves on to diss her

retired husband, Al, who watches

television all day, every day.

He loves those damn soaps,

she says. Idiot TV. He won’t

even consider really good

shows, like Oprah or Montel.

Just before lunch, Kevin comes

in, payroll in hand. He gives

Midge her envelope, calls me

into the back room to offer mine.

Okay, that’s a little weird,

but what am I going to do,

say no? As always, his eyes creep

up and down my body.

Here it is, in all its glory,

he says of my pitiful paycheck—

$329 and change.

He pauses, assessing me in some

way I can’t put my arms around.

Finally he says, You’re worth

a lot more than minimum wage,

but I can’t offer a raise until