W&N watercolour on Amedeo 200gsm –
A clothesline was a news forecast
To neighbours passing by.
There were no secrets you could keep
When clothes were hung to dry.
†
It also was a friendly link
For neighbours always knew
If company had stopped on by
To spend a night or two.
†
For then you’d see the fancy sheets
And towels on the line;
You’d see the company table clothes
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 grey,
As neighbours raised their brows,
And looked disgustedly away.
†
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 neighbours knew each other best
By what hung on the line!
†
- Author unknown
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