~ode to the clothesline~

"The Clothesline Said So Much"

A clothesline was a news forecast

To neighbors passing by.

There were no secrets you could keep

When clothes were hung to dry.

It also was a friendly link

For neighbors always knew

If company had stopped on by

To spend a night or two.

For then you'd see the 'fancy sheets'

And towels upon the line;

You'd see the 'company table cloths'

With intricate design.

The line announced a baby's birth 

To folks who lived inside

As brand new infant clothes were hung

So carefully with pride.

The ages of the children could

So readily  be known

By watching how the sizes changed

You'd know how much they'd grown.

It also told when illness struck,

As extra sheets were hung;

Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too,

Haphazardly were strung.

It said, 'Gone on vacation now'

When lines hung limp and bare.

It told, 'We're back!' when full lines sagged

With not an inch to spare.

New folks in town were scorned upon

If wash was dingy gray,

As neighbors  carefully raised their brows,

And looked the other way.

But clotheslines now are of the past

For dryers make work less.

Now what goes on inside a home

Is anybody's  guess.

I really miss that way of life 

It was a friendly sign

When neighbors knew each other best

 By what hung on the line!

by Marilyn K. Walker

"The Backyard Clothesline"

You'll say I'm 'quaintly countrified,'

Old fashioned as you please.

But I love the sight of fresh, clean laundry

Tossing in the breeze.

To suspend each garment on the line,

Then give the wind full play;

To caress and gently fragrance

In that sweet 'outdoorsy' way.

To bask in sunny radiance,

Towels neatly hung in rows;

Snowy linens snapping crisply,

Darling dancing baby clothes.

And when at dusk I gather them

If feel extremely blessed

That line-dried and sun-kissed cleanliness

Clothes the ones that I love best.

by Juanita M. Vernon

Miss Daisy knows the path to the clothesline,

and thinks I can't find it without her. ;-)