Her matches
Come from a loose book
Deep in the pocket of her smock.

Her rings
Bear the nicks and stains
Wrought by faucets and tiles.

Her bumps
Are earned scrubbing
Sinks too small for elbows.

Her face and heels
Ache from false enthusiasm and
Ill-fitting shoes, respectively.

Her clothesline
Runs the length of the bathtub and
Snaps her fingers mercilessly.

Her manager
Docks her pay
When the bus runs late.

Her pop
Tastes flat. The break room
Fridge is always broken.

Her finish
Is usually 4pm, but
She still has one room left.

Her title
Is Housekeeper.
And she’s entering
Andre’s bathroom.

Howard Finkel: “Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing the challenger, from New York City, weighing 175 pounds, a writer whose work has appeared or is forthcoming in Flash Phantoms, Infocalypse Magazine, Exclamation Mark Lit, AntipodeanSF, The San Antonio Review, and Gnome & Bone…master of the submission…Vin Berardi!