Sorting Laundry

I feel like so many people can relate to Elisavietta Ritchie's poem Sorting Laundry. I know I, as well as so many others, over-think certain aspects of our lives. The structure and content of this poem show that the speaker does this as well. She starts off talking about sheets and pillow cases then gradually gets more specific. She ends up talking about the smallest details of what she finds in the pockets of the laundry she is folding. One can tell that she is in deep thought as she does this. The consistent structure of the poem also symbolizes the consistency of what she is doing. She folds laundry over and over again, day after day. This time of the day when she folds laundry doesn't do her much good, however. She begins to over-think parts of her life. Specifically, she starts doubting the strength of her relationship. One can infer that the speaker is in deep thought when it says, "you brought from Kuwait, the strangely tailored shirt left by a former lover..." (Ritchie, 842). This ellipsis causes a natural pause in the poem. This pause stands for when the speaker is deep in thought and lost in her own worries in her mind. In the whole poem, the speaker seems to be in a very strong relationship with her current lover. Whatever she began to doubt in it can only cause harm. Sometimes, over-thinking can lead to destruction.