melatonin

My Work Anxiety Dreams

Always take place in Subway—

the sandwich shop, the easiest job

in theory I ever had. After all,

people tell you what to put on the sandwich.

Yet in my dream, I fail in ways

that hurt only me.

I forget my employee number,

my schedule—

show up at the wrong store,

work six hours on a four-hour shift,

don’t clock in, don’t get paid for any of it.

Sometimes I don’t go in for a week—

spaced it.

So many ways to fuck up

what should be an easy job

come alive in the night,

while I dream and try not to worry:

the laptop still unsent,

the new email unissued,

the W-2 still blank.

Why my big-girl job

could have as many holes

to fall into.