Stemmer

*Dedicated to the millions who smoke the treat that kills.

- by Yollanda Carrington

It's a hot, sweaty, steamy day.
It's gonna be a real long day today.
I stand rigid as a pole at my station, my place if you will
Stripping these leaves, as fast as I can go---No, faster than I can go, or should go

I am a machine, and so are my sistas---we're here to get the job done.
It's too hot in here, can't he see that?
He keeps on looking at me, holding his clipboard, tapping his pencil.
I'm going as fast as I can, boss.

His face is Hell-red, his face sweats, his eyes sweat, his hair bleeds sweat and reeks of sweat
It's a long, hot, stifling day here.

I keep on going, I keep on going, my hands are torn up, dry as a bone, I've nicked myself a few times too.

I'm going as fast as I can, boss.

Damn you girl/nigger/wench (Whatever!) his eyes say
He knows he don't want to be here, why is he here?
Time is money, money is time.
That's the way it is here in Bull Durham
I live and die on His Time, and on my dime.

Yolanda Carrington is a junior at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC. She's majoring in History. You can email her at ycarr58@yahoo.com