Fresh ground pepper

Fragrant fresh ground pepper

on cottage cheese,

garlic stuffed olives,

football on TV

and I think that somewhere

someone works all day

picking olives in the sun,

someone pits olives for a living,

someone grows garlic,

someone peels the cloves,

someone stuffs the olives,

someone fills the jars,

someone drives the truck,

someone stocks shelves

so I can sit on my couch,

watch football on TV

and eat cottage cheese

with stuffed olives,

while my wife sleeps down the hall

and I wonder

if the laborers who make this happen,

can afford the luxury of TV

with a late night snack

in the safety of their home.

9-17-26