emotional labor (a Sunday evening) | Emma Zuder

how is it that 

i make 

clean 

and put away

the dishes? 

dirty-clean laundry piles up 

on the creaky wooden slab,

day-old groceries patient 

in crinkly bags;

dutch oven boils, vegetables

slice and dice, while a phone wedged 

between neck and shoulder echoes

my mother-in-law.

the baby’s in the high chair

chop

you’re on the couch 

chop

i move 

from room to room

because it’s Sunday

and i didnt think to ask for help —

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Emma Zuder (she/her) is a senior at Seton Hill University in western Pennsylvania, where she studies English literature, sociology, and behavioral health. She’s an editor and writer for the Setonian, and enjoys writing self-reflective poetry.