“Work, Shirt,” an essay by Katie Runde (fiction ’12)

On March 12th, I assigned myself a uniform: my blue denim shirt. I needed something that was just right for the temperature inside the house in early spring. I needed something to signal daytime and the work of getting through one day of this or one thousand. I needed this one thing to be decided for the duration.

The blue denim shirt makes me feel like, I don’t know, I mean business? It’s denim, but it’s a collared shirt, so it’s a very particular kind of business. It’s a Rosie the Riveter shirt, if Rosie shopped at TJ Maxx. 

Rosie’s business in her blue denim shirt was building airplanes to defeat Nazis. My business in my blue shirt now is subpar Montessori teacher rodeo clown hype woman. My business is Kindergarten app passwords snacks snacks snacks, screams, questions I can’t answer, little sad lonely sobs, my business is knock knock jokes is this ok am I doing today right and I don’t know when it will end or if you can go swimming or see nanna soon.  

“Work, Shirt” appeared on the Triangle House Blog. Read the rest of the essay here: https://www.triangle.house/housebound/work-shirt