Elevator Boy

I got a job now
Runnin' an elevator
In the Dennison Hotel in Jersey.
Job ain't no good though.
No money around.
     Jobs are just chances
     Like everything else.
     Maybe a little luck now,
     Maybe not.
     Maybe a good job sometimes:
     Step out o' the barrel, boy.
Two new suits an'
A woman to sleep with.
     Maybe no luck for a long time.
     Only the elevators
     Goin' up an' down,
     Up an' down,
     Or somebody else's shoes
     To shine,
     Or greasy pots in a dirty kitchen.
I been runnin' this
Elevator too long.
Guess I'll quit now.

~ Langston Hughes