clothesline

one of my few pristine memories

Tempe, Arizona, 1963

a scent of sunshine 

baked  into sheets on a line

certain smells take me back

a little boy, eager, struggles to keep up

her gentle admonitions oft repeated

"don't let them touch the ground, honey"

methodically we folded

longways, longways

toward and back, toward again

every week, just her and I

while the girls were in school

all her troubles subsided

and for that little while

my world seemed right

a boy and his Mom, learning, being...

Author's Note

this is why I like square dancing,
just figured that one out

Miss you, Mom

Reviews

[Samuel Dickens]

The clothes line was a special thing, wasn't it? Bright sheets and more, swaying with the slightest breeze, and oh, yes--that smell. When such things were common, more than a few of us sons were obliged to sometimes help our moms out with the laundry.

[?]

Now this is what I remember doing with my grandmother...my mom always used a clothes dryer..lol
When your young like that you dont think that those times spent...well spent...are worth much...until you grow older and so do they...
Well done John
you have refreshed some memories for me and now I hold back the tears and just smile...

[J. J. Nightingale]

Funny how just the slightest scent , can take you back .. this is sweet, and brings memories , of carefree times, and home ..

Jasmine ..

[Ed Hart]

thanks for the memory

[Marie]

Yes, I can see the relation of folding sheets to square dancing. There's nothing like the smell of sun-warmed sheets.

[Emily B]

those were magic times for her too

[Lily Mae]

John.. omg.. I have tears streaming down my face. You took a simple moment that we all have shared with our Mother's and allowed us to remember the beauty that existed in them.. For me it was every Sat. we were alone and she would blast Percy Faith and the Ray Coniff singers and we'd sing "I can see clearly now the rain has gone"....from the top of our lungs.. No one knew.. it was just us.. :) I bow to you for invoking these beautiful thoughts and memories..xo

[John Jackson (El Juero)]

My pleasure, and with love, my Friend.