On Laundry Lists and Lists of Firsts
/ Remembering Pat Schroeder’s Housework

by Jen Schneider


Born into a world made of and for men,
Pat Schroeder washed no one’s linens.

Instead, she primed lines and pinned
fabrics, policies freshly pressed,
across party lines.

She tucked corners and creased seams.
Tracked tears of different solutions.
Birthed a list of firsts, pre-shrunk,
threaded in, of, and for their time. 

Elected to Congress in 1972,
at the time Nixon had won in a landslide

She slid into rooms of unfamiliar fibers

– few new Democrats,
few women, few willing
to share their shoes
or the Tide

Schroeder refused to adopt
or adapt. Her mantra and manner
one of fresh scents and new lots.

Amongst Mrs.,
Schroeder was
a Congresswoman
determined and destined
to hang dry new flavors, in ruffled
layers, and forms of a political wash

She patted no backs
She tolerated no backtalk

Instead, she spun --
institutions and cycles
and set new dials

Multi-talented – of
brains AND a uterus –
Pat Schroeder washed
mouths, rerouted
(p)lots and aired
dirty linens. rinsed

her hands of
condescending
House talk

Twelve cycles in Congress
a Colorado Democrat
 
Enforcement of the Equal Credit
Opportunity Act – one of many

firsts.

Memos on Officers’ Clubs, times
Two. Four. Six. Double loads. More.

She continued to work.
The House. The Clock.

Memos made for change.
Schroeder made her mark.

She had her hands in

piles of metals
(and medals).

No quarters needed.

All loose threads plucked.

Pegged traitors.
Softened neighbors.

She initiated, insisted,
relentlessly resisted

and continued to wash

/ her name of housewife

references,

instead – a list of firsts

             Service on the House Armed Services Committee
             despite a shared seat, half-chair load allotment
             Congressional reprimand of a House Speaker
             Senate Judiciary Committee Hearings on Anita Hill’s
             accusations against Clarence Thomas

             Founding member of the first congressional women’s caucus
             One of 14 women in the House at the time of her initial election
             First woman elected to represent Colorado
             Secured the right to credit for many (in 1974!)
             Earned her pilot’s license at 15

             A feminist icon
             A relentless leader
             A remarkable legislator
             A paid leave champion

             An indelible legacy
             A remarkable lady

Pat Schroeder
cleaned House

decades of labor
no sorting needed
spins for progress
buttons pressed
in and out of order
checked collars (and egos)
neither fluke nor flake
no socks unturned
no fading with cycles
of tenure and talent
of sharp wit and wry humor
public service on high-heat settings
exemplary outcomes

Fresh in all the right dimensions.
No laundromat needed (or heeded)
Forever pressed in memory and recollections

Pat Schroeder, D - Colo.

Reflection: Pat Schroeder served 24 years in the House. After leaving Congress, she wrote “24 Years of House Work ... and the Place Is Still a Mess: My Life in Politics”. She died this week*, at the age of 82. As I reflect on her remarkable life and legacy, I can’t help but linger on the many forms of housework she so expertly changed for the better – mess, dirty laundry, and all.


* * * * *

*Pat Schroeder did March 13, 2023.

Jen Schneider is an educator who lives, writes, and works in small spaces throughout Pennsylvania. Her most recent collection, 14 (Plus) Reasons Why published with free lines press, is now available.