Wail of the Waiter

A sharp-tongued lament from the colonial era, this poem gives voice to the trials and tribulations of a waiter navigating the demanding world of 19th-century Australian hospitality. Written with dry wit and bathos, the speaker catalogs the endless abuses of the profession: impossible customers, endless demands, paltry tips, and the exhausting performance of deference. Clarke transforms what could be mere complaint into something sharper: a small act of class rebellion, a recognition that service work is work, and that those who perform it have just as much right to grumble as anyone else. The poem captures something universal about the service economy's invisible laborers, the people who make our meals possible while remaining largely unseen. Whether read as period curiosity or as surprisingly modern commentary on gig economies and customer culture, it offers pleasure in its wit and recognition in its complaints. A tiny gem of Australian colonial literature, perfect for anyone who has ever worked in hospitality and lived to tell the tale.