Below is a poem that I discovered when a customer of mine at Paper Products had made a little book about the clothesline with this poem and needed a way to bind it. I suggested using the mini-clothespins that we had and she loved it. She gave me one of her books as a thank you!
The Clothesline Said So Much
By Marilyn K. Walker
A clothesline was a news forecast
To neighbors passing by.
There were not 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 tablecloths
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.
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
A clothesline was a news forecast
To neighbors passing by.
There were not 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 tablecloths
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.
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!
image taken from mountainspringscabins.com via google images
2 comments:
Thanks for posting this thoughtful and true poem, Joan...It makes me think about the day (I should have photographed it) when our son had his newly painted VW engine parts hanging on our line!!
this was such a lovely poem... made me think of my mom hanging laundry when we were kids... I use to love running through it... and the smell... oh the smell of freshly lined dried laundry... there really is nothing like it in the world... thank you so much for sharing this... I might just have to put a clothes line up to pass a wonderful memory on to Rainee... thank you!!!
{{hugs}} Michelle
Post a Comment