Paying Customers

Lawrence S. Pertillar 1947 (Connecticut)



Hi. Good morning.
I would like to have 10 pounds,
Of the salmon steak.
And 3 pounds of the...

'Calm down.
What's the rush?

(looking around)
Uh...excuse me?
I have been standing here.
Patiently.

'Can't you see me,
Unpacking other fish?
To put them on display?'

Ooo...
Someone has yet to read,
The employee manual.
Do you know,
What the benefits...
Of a paying customer is?

'I don't have the time,
To discuss your version of it.
Give me a few more minutes.
And you and I can discuss,
What it is I do...
Before customers like you,
Enter this store to demand attention.'

Say what?
I see.
I bet your manager will find the time,
To listen to my recommendations.

'I hope that happens.
And maybe then,
You will also suggest...
I get a raise to do more,
Than the other employees...
Walking around the store,
Doing less and getting paid for it!'

Oh yeah?
That seems to be a management problem.
Just how fresh is that fish anyway?

'Believe this or not,
Before you stopped me...
All of it was fresh.
Until you began interrupting me.
Now...
For whatever the reason,
They have begun to thaw!
So I can not say,
How fresh they had been to stay that way.'

Well..
Why haven't they been put on ice?
At the price and the cost of them.
You could have at least...
Taken that into consideration.

'When you have that discussion,
With my manager?
Also tell him how rude and disrespectful,
I had been to you too!'

Why?
So you can get that raise?
And prove you are better,
Handling the demands...
Of customers like me?
To set an example,
For those employees you complain about?
When you find the time,
Please...
Give me what I came in here to get.

'And that was?
I have forgotten.'

THE FISH!

'Okay. Okay, calm down!
Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted by Lp,jr. on October 15, 2021

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:35 min read
13

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXXX AX XBXB BXC XXDXXX EFXXGGH XBEI IXXJKJF XXC XBXBXHXCC XXXXH HLDG XXLXBDXEKX XH A
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 1,617
Words 321
Stanzas 15
Stanza Lengths 4, 2, 4, 3, 6, 7, 4, 7, 3, 9, 5, 4, 10, 2, 1

Discuss the poem Paying Customers with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Paying Customers" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/112113/paying-customers>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    4
    days
    13
    hours
    27
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the poem "Still I Rise"?
    A Dylan Thomas
    B Robert Burns
    C Elizabeth Barrett Browning
    D Maya Angelou