Blindspots

“It’s just a job”

Thanks to Amisha Nakhwa for sharing their work on Unsplash.

It’s interesting you say that.

Well see…

Grandma was a cleaning lady.

Watched Mrs. Finkelstein

Spray pristine elegant bottles of perfume

Armoring herself in fur

Perplexed by these signals of wealth

Yeah, it was just a job.

Dad was a cable tech for time warner

He started working only a few months after my birthday in fact

Welcomed

Or I welcomed

Into strangers homes

Intimate spaces frequently

“danger zones”

He became intimate with

It was just a job.

I’ve seen a lot of souls

Living through just jobs

Spending several hours

Away from family.

Only to come home

Hands, calloused

Lower back, achy and warm to the touch

Shoulders, clenched.

Over Just a job.

I decided a long time ago

I wanted more than just a job.

When you tell me it’s just a job

You ignore

My grandmother

Bent over

Knees pressed against the floor

Hands raw from cleaning products

You ignore my daddy

Climbing ladders

Carefully stepping over wiring

Lifting

A few hundred pounds over his head.

Your blind spots

Are stark.

I’ve seen a lot of souls

Living through just jobs.

I decided a long time ago

I wanted more than just a job.