Carelessly Wet

(a fun piece about a boring chore, pleased to say it is now dancing in the wind)

look at yesterday's laundry

limp lethargic and totally lifeless

soaked to its thin saturated skin

.

looking disheveled droopy

hanging by pegs on a rotary line

dripping with drenched wetness

.

it couldn't get any wetter

i couldn't have made a better job

of ensuring so if i'd tried

.

there it is crying its eyes out

left out excluded in pouring rain

suffering indignity not so much pain

.

all because i lost the plot

forgot to bring it inside when

my carelessness cast it aside

.

Reviews

[Neville]

I have a thing about clean linen, dancing in the wind, on a clothes line .. smells lovely and feels lovely when dry of course .. easily done tho' Chris and its good to know I'm not the only one .. Neville

[Chris Shaw]

Something about the freshness of clean washing drying on a breezy day. You just can’t beat it. Wet washing, yuk and when it gets even wetter, then more yuk. Thank you Neville, for giving my poem an airing from the archives.

Chris

[Neville]

You are, as always more than welcome Chris.

Neville

[Pete]

lol. i'm remembering when as a child i would hand my mother clothespins. my mum had a way of making the chore fun to amuse us. we would run to take the clothes in if rain was approaching or night was falling. a time of talking and being together. we would play all kinds of things around the clothesline. that pole sticking out of the ground was an almost sacred thing in our yard. many people don't even know as dryers have replaced it. nothing like the smell of line-dried clothes in their stiffness. when we brought the clothes in, they had such a fresh-air smell and oh when we wore them! you paint the experience of not getting them in before it rains so well. nothing worse than droopy wet clothes on the line though. this is the good stuff of life ... :)

[Chris Shaw]

Pleased to bring you some happy memories Pete with this write about the mundane and ordinary. Yes, the smell of clothes fresh from drying on the line, there is nothing quite like it. I only use my dryer in an emergency. If it's raining for days, then I use it. What a clever mum, making wash day into a game :) Many thank yous for your visit. Have a great Wednesday.

Chris

[Robert Trakofler]

look at yesterday's laundry
limp lethargic and totally lifeless
soaked to its thin saturated skin....

for a moment I thought you were talking about me:/
I could say that first stanza a hundred times yes it is a silly subject matter but holy hot damn if that isn't just an amazing set of words! gorgeous gorgeous placement of words yum yum, yum
the zen of your writing is running on all cylinders Chris! I love how you use all of the tools in your writing voice

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Bunny. Sometimes my muse picks the most mundane of subjects and says to me, do your best :) Yes it's a challenge, but I do believe beauty can be found in most things even wet washing :)) So appreciate you checking in to leave your thoughts. Happy Tuesday.

Chris

[Dave]

We no longer do it. we use the dryer, but I always found it interesting to see the various garments hanging by their clothespins on the line. To see them swirling about on a windy day. So much more poetic than to see them simply tumbling around and waiting for the bell to go off.
Thank you for the reminder Chris - take care - Dave

[Chris Shaw]

I don't use a clothes dryer anymore Dave. The washing goes out in all but the worse type of weather. The smell of clothes dried outside is truly refreshing. That's the way I like it. Sometimes of course, you come unstuck. This was a creative way of looking at it. I love watching clothes dance on the line. Many thank yous for your continued support which is so encouraging.

Chris

[...]

From title i was except something erotic . I think it's can be erotic in abstract way. Or sexuality can be see anywhere . You are very gently describing how this job can be boring and exhausting. But it's almost like meditation or calming lament. It have impression of nature and connection to water. And like water this poem flowing into bigger ocean of meaning. P . S . I was wondering if you ever sing Bubbling and Splashing. I think it's quite soothing song for this kind of job.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Martin for sharing your thoughts here. I listen to music alot, but you wouldn't want to hear my singing :)) Have a lovely weekend.

Chris

[...]

Thank you very much . I think I am also good singer like you .

[alanwgraham]

Nowt gets past you as poetic raw material Chris. I like the crying its eyes out image. I shudder to guess your next offering. It does take imagination and poetic skill to make something out of an everyday activity. I would probably end up with a limeric k
All the best.
Ala.

[Chris Shaw]

Thanks Alan, it:s fun to try and make something poetic out of the mundane. I appreciate you noticing. All the best.

Chris

[zainul]

Wonderful poem in a painful time.I am very amazed to see that you could discover such a lively topic for a lovely poem during the Corona invasion.
Your carelessness resulted to a creative product.
Thank you Chris for the great imagination.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you zainul for your very generous and encouraging review. Pleased to see you on my page.

Chris

[James]

The rotary line brought back memories of my grandmothers house. I don't think she ever used a dryer.

And now, you have to start all over again. Cool poem.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you James. Pleased my lines reminded you of your Grandmother and her laundry days. Good to see you visit. Most appreciated.

Chris

[Dhara_Ditzy Kat]

Dripping wet clothes in the rain...I sort of agree that they can whip up some romantic imagery, dear Chris. Like when the boyfriend rushes out to collect the clothes seconds before the downpour and my mistress runs behind him. I just loved this lively, lovely poem 💕

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Ditzy my favourite Kat. Trying to make something out of the mundane here. We all have our laundry to do :)) More treats for you.........

Chris

[Inessa]

I certainly relate, Christine. I once forgot I left a cardigan on the laundry line in winter. When i discovered it next morning it was completely frozen like a washboard. I like the personification of the laundry here, taking on a life of its own, crying tears out in that rain. Washing can sure be a troublesome chore sometimes.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Inessa, same thing happened to me a few years ago. A jumper frozen, quite amazing just how stiff it went. Trying to make poetry out of the mundane here. Appreciating your encouragement dear poet.

Chris