i stand in the pharmacy

my feet hurt

my head hurts

the man in front of me has been yelling for the past 5 minutes. 

“i can’t afford this”

my heart sinks

i’m scheduled to work for 35 hours during a school week

my heart sinks.

“high drug costs”

“expensive insurance”

i know

i just wish i could do something about it.

i’m falling asleep in class

keep working

my grades are slipping

keep working.

stress, anxiety, and depression

it’s just a part of the job

“i feel burned out,” i say

no one cares, keep working.

“we need to take care of our health providers,” people say

then do nothing

this is just how it is working

in a profit-driven health care system.