Three Apps, No Net
Phone duct-taped to the dash
second one buzzing in my coat
Third one in my pocket screaming surge zones like a note
Door drop, ride hail, task list
fighting on the cracked screen
Three companies chewing on my time
fighting over the machine
Map looks like a war room with all the little jobs lit up in red
Every ping another order barking “move faster or you’re dead
” I chase arrows through the traffic while the tank sinks toward E
Whole city using me like a vein they don’t want to see.
Morning starts with groceries carried up four flights of stairs
Old lady tips a dollar
says “God bless you” through her prayers
Switch apps at the corner light
now I’m driving some guy downtown
Listening to him brag about his stocks while mine are going down
He gives me four stars, “great ride
” but no tip on the sheet
I’m the ghost who drove his meeting
he’s the boots on the seat
Third app buzzes with a “quick job” assembling a brand new chair
I build comfort for a stranger I could never afford to share.
I’m juggling three apps with one pair of hands and no safety net below
All these logos on my home screen swear they’re friends
but I know
By the time the week is over and the miles are on my bones
I’m still short on rent and long on hours I don’t own.
Algorithm decides if I get fed or left outside
One bad rating from a prick and my whole day gets denied
“Be your own boss, ” the ads said
“set your flexible time
” Funny how my boss lives in the code and only speaks in dime
Every cancellation fee feels like a slap I can’t block
Every policy change “for your benefit” is just another lock
I scroll the driver forums on a smoke break by the curb
Find a hundred people just like me
trying not to loose the nerve.
End of shift isn’t real
it’s just the moment when I quit
Because if I keep the apps on
they will drag me back to it
I turn them off at midnight, swear I’m done
I need to sleep
Then some promo code pops up promising a bonus I can keep
“Just ten more rides tonight” for cash that won’t cover half the wear
My back screams “take me home
” my bank account says “don’t you dare
” I pick up one more stranger
bite my tongue when he complains
About how “nobody wants to work
” while I’m working through the pains.
I’m juggling three apps with one pair of hands and no safety net below
All these logos on my home screen swear they’re friends
but I know
By the time the week is over and the miles are on my bones
I’m still short on rent and long on hours I don’t own.
Landlord sent a message asking when I’ll make it right
I send back “working extra
” leave out “driving all damn night
” I’ve got receipts stuffed in the glove box
fast food bags and tolls
A car I barely own anymore and a spine full of holes
Some nights I picture throwing all three phones into the river’s dark
Let the apps scream “are you still there” to a cold and empty mark
Then I think about eviction letters curling on the floor
Put the car in drive again and chase just one more.
I’m juggling three apps with one tired heartbeat and no safety net in sight
Sliced myself into three pieces just to almost live one life
When the week’s summary hits my inbox with its fake green upward bent
I see a thousand miles and fourteen-hour days still ending shy of rent. One day I’ll kill these profiles
leave their ratings in the dust
Find a job that doesn’t treat my body like exhaust and rust
Till then it’s “new request available” humming like a threat
Three apps in my pocket, three leashes on my neck
no net.