THE SINK/CHORE MOTHER GIVES ME by Chani Zwibel

Dirty dishes don’t do
Themselves
She said and let me put my hands in mushy water grey with grime.
I hated how
The water felt
And the food-residue clumps
Clung to the dishes,
but loved the lemon-scented dish detergent.
I concentrated on the garden outside the window.
Needed mint to grow and last through winter frosts.

Chani Zwibel is the author of Cave Dreams to Star Portals. She is an associate editor with Madness Muse Press. She is a graduate of Agnes Scott College, who was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but now dwells in Marietta, Georgia, with her husband and their dog. She co-hosts an open mic night called Poetry and Palette once a month at The Good Acting Studio in Marietta.