"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. ;-)
