"you keep the ticket"

today I went to my Vietnamese Dry Cleaner
and they couldn't find my clothes
you see I never get a ticket
I'm so important
they can just remember me
I don't like scraps of paper
cluttering up my life
or my desk
or my car
so "you keep the ticket"
that's what I tell them
every time
but today
they lost the ticket
and they couldn't find my clothes
so I went to Columbia Plaza
I bought some baggy hip hop pants
and a jean jacket with frayed patches
I went back to the dry cleaners to show them
"I spent $100 because you can't find my clothes"
and she said
"you can push the button"
so I did, I went behind the counter
I pushed the button and turned the powered rack
and looked for my clothes
because she didn't have time
because I had no ticket
because I am so important
so well known
everyone knows me
how could you forget
I make myself known
I'm a presence
but I didn't have the ticket
so I pushed the button
and looked at all the black clothes
a long oval shaped revolving rack
that dipped down to the counter
like an escalator
I searched
and I found nothing
except the black clothing of other
customers, I thought
"why am I doing this
she needs to find my clothes"
but she was busy
and I didn't have a ticket
and then, suddenly
I found my clothes
the Dickie shorts, the shirt, the pants,
the sweater, the black slacks, and I yelled
"I told you, I told you,
I told you they were here!"
and she smiled, and said
"next time...you keep ticket"