forty-seven sheets

my hands

are numb from brushing,

from

cutting

and pushing wallpaper

onto a wall.

forty-seven sheets in one

day.

a hundred

trips up the ladder.

each piece

measured and cut,

then pasted.

i stare at my hands,

as they shake,

red from cold water,

from paste,

the trickle of blood

from

blisters.

good job, i tell them

at the end of the day.

good job.

now get some rest,

tomorrow we have more

for you.