The everyday life of an everyday woman with a passion for writing, and a dream… Mommeeeee! I need help wiping! …Oh yes, and five little kids.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Ode to Laundry

My mother came today for her weekly cooking lessons with my daughter.  When she walked in, she was met by my piles of laundry which had been the focus for most of my day.  She couldn't help but laugh and told me I had to take a picture.  So I did.  Actually I took two, hoping it would show the enormity of my task for the day....

Nope, it doesn't. *sigh* I even enlarged the picture.  I can't help but look at this and think, "This is all I accomplished today?"

I managed to sit down and try more re-writing/revising/editing/hair-ripping.  It didn't go so well.  My heart, mind, and imagination just weren't in it today. I guess the laundry folded it out of me.  I thought about writing a poem about laundry, but then I remembered my lack of creativity today so I just googled one instead. 

Ode to Laundry


Oh you pile of filth
I see you mocking me
Taunting me as you grow
Didn’t I just wash you?


Your collection of grime and slime
It’s repulsive to my nose
You boast of freshness
Only to waft odorous tendrils after a day of wear


I must brave the stench
Touching each aromatic article
Unfolding arms and legs
Removing loose prizes I claim for my own


I stuff you in the washer
Pour that perfumed liquid over your rumpled mess
Praying that the ketchup will be coaxed out
Along with the sticky goo-
Oh dear, is that a melted gummy bear?


Sigh


Oh, you chore that haunts me
Beckons to me
Shouts your displeasure of being ignored
You long to be worn again
Ready for a new day,
A new adventure, a new stain


I will conquer this beast
Perform this menial duty
Wash and dry you
Obligingly fold you
Put you in your various places and
Pretend this chore is over

I'll keep my fingers crossed for a more productive day tomorrow...
Posted by at

5 comments:

  1. RheannaApril 4, 2011 at 6:11 PM

    You totally put me to shame! I THOUGHT about doing my laundry...unfortunately, that's as far as it got other than folding the last load from last week that I never did, but there is no comparison. I'd consider it a day well spent...as long as you watched some fantastic show or movie while you folded :o)

    ReplyDelete
  2. CindiApril 4, 2011 at 6:17 PM

    Hey! At least it's clean, folded laundry and not piles of dirty laundry. Now it's all finished and you can do something fabulously creative tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  3. MomnerdApril 4, 2011 at 8:14 PM

    My laundry is something I don't think about. Otherwise I'd cry.....

    ReplyDelete
  4. KerriApril 4, 2011 at 10:54 PM

    You are my inspiration! In my next life I want to have your cleanliness! I just make my kids do the laundry...

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownMay 11, 2011 at 3:27 PM

    I *hate* doing laundry ... no, actually it's the folding and putting away that gets me. The worst was when I walked into my laundry room yesterday to pull the clean load out of the dryer and found that it had already been pulled out and mixed with the dirty laundry I'd sorted into piles (my daughter was looking for a shirt or something). What made it even worse is that the pile of dirty clothes and clean clothes were actually ones I normally put in the same load (I just had a double load because of pulling out summer clothes and stuff). I just wanted to cry.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)