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Sauce Packets

By Hannah Ruttan

Bright red sauce splattered
across the stainless steel
cooler doors and plastic
black handles.
White chocolate so viscous
that there is a chorus of jokes
whenever we have to use it.
Those are the best nights,
where we can joke about
some things on the floor
and everything else
behind closed wooden doors.
That goddamn mustard,
coating every inch of the paper wrapper
and clear food service gloves.
At least the pay makes up
for the dark yellow stains on my blue jeans.
The pungent, spicy smell of Sriracha
mixed with mayonnaise and peppers.
Corporate named it
Boom Boom sauce.
Damn it,
another ketchup packet on the floor.

Filed Under: Poetry

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