Laundry on the line
For all the world to see
Basking in sunlight
Fresh sheets blowing in the wind
A fresh smell like no other
*
Clothes from the washer
Suds squeezed out through the ringer
Woman’s work back then
Monday morning wash day
Life’s simple routine repeated
*
Wicker basket filled
Undies just hung on the line
Wooden clothes pins tight
No one then gave it a thought
Whether the neighbors saw them
*
Phosphate soap bubbles
Tide will always get them clean
Good fresh smells linger
Dry clothes pressed on ironing board
Folded put up by supper
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
At d’Verse this evening, De asked us to write a poem about laundry! I grew up in the days when clothes were washed in a ringer washer and washtubs, hung on the line outside with wooden clothes pins, and ironed on an ironing board in the kitchen! No need for fabric softener back then the clothes always smelled wonderful. I decided to do a series of tankas.
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
Roth Poetry 
Very nice, Roth. I miss hanging laundry out in the sunlight 😦
LikeLiked by 4 people
Yes, it is like nothing else to sleep on wind blown sheets! Thank you so much!
LikeLiked by 4 people
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nice tanka series, Dwight. I remember when everything was ironed. My mom even ironed my dad’s handkerchiefs! She used to let me iron the handerchiefs to help her 🙂
LikeLiked by 3 people
Love your comment!
One of my chores as a kid (in a family of parents and 8 kids) was to help do the ironing. Yep, we had to iron the hankies! When I’d tell my kids about that I always teased and said, “I even had to iron everyone’s underpants!” 😉 😀 HA! I didn’t, but it seemed like we ironed everything! 😮
LikeLiked by 3 people
Yes, it was a good days work!
LikeLiked by 2 people
🙂 I remember that too. My grandma sprinkled shirts then rolled them up to get them ready (my memory of it anyway.)
LikeLiked by 3 people
Great memory Lisa. I still have my mom’s sprinkler head that went on top of an empty ketchup bottle!
LikeLiked by 2 people
❤
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes, my mom had us kids do the pre-ironing sprinkling and rolling of certain clothes, too. 🙂
I always liked the chores that involved water best. Ha! 🙂
LikeLiked by 3 people
:>)
LikeLiked by 2 people
🙂
LikeLiked by 3 people
Yes it was like that all those years ago. I can relate! I remember my mother putting a ‘blue bag’ in the final rinse to make the sheets whiter!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Bluing! I forgot about that! How interesting. Thank you for your comment!
LikeLiked by 1 person
A lovely nostalgic write. A forgotten routine, for most of us. I am laughing remembering how clothes would dry very stiff, in the scorching AZ sun. 🌞😂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Michelle! In Pennsylvania, they would sometimes freeze stiff in the cold weather!
LikeLiked by 2 people
You are welcome. 😀 That is funny! Maybe not at the time. 😁
LikeLiked by 2 people
Strong memories. Smell is such a big part of nostalgia, isn’t it? The wonderful freshness of sun dried washing. Nothing beats it. 🙂
LikeLiked by 3 people
Yes, smell is so important in our memories. Thank you for your comment. Those windblown sheets are the best!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Very nice
I love simplicity
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderful poem and subject, Dwight. I so prefer washing dried in the fresh
air, the scent is a perfume I wish I could bottle.
It seems that the tumble dryer has taken over in many places. Handy for winter but…., what about our senses.😊.
Miriam
LikeLiked by 4 people
It was a different world back then. New and improved does not always mean better! Thank you Miriam!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Beautiful nostalgic poem Dwight! We still have clothes lines to dry out clothes, but on the terraces and roofs. The colourful fabric fluttering in the wind and the colourful cloth pegs are forever very beautiful sights.
LikeLiked by 3 people
That sounds like a beautiful sight! Like flags waving in the breeze!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You know, Dwight, in many places in the world today – this is still true!
❤
David
LikeLiked by 2 people
I believe you are right! Maybe the world would be a better place if we all felt that way! Thank you David ! :>)
LikeLiked by 2 people
What a wonderful poem, Dwight! A memory-ingniter! 🙂
Until the day she died my mom only had a ringer washer and a clothesline. So I grew up using the ringer washer and hanging clothes on the lines in the backyard. I like the way the sun-dried wind-dried clothes smelled. 🙂
Our neighbor had a friendly Great Dane that would let us little kids ride on his back. My mom would yell if we let him run under the clothes drying on the lines! HA! 😀
(((HUGS))) 🙂
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you so much! What a great memory you have as well. I hope the dog did not decide to pull on the clothes!
LikeLiked by 2 people
He didn’t pull on the clothes, but my mom couldn’t abide by his head or body brushing against the clean clothes as he ran under them. HA. 😀
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ha ha… I am sure my mom would not put up with that either!
LikeLiked by 2 people
A fine poem and good picture – you really have made it for all the world to see.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Derrick! I have great memories of my mom and sister doing the Monday morning wash.
LikeLiked by 2 people
a lovely poem to this tradition of old and wonderful sensory memory
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Beth. They are great memories!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Wounderful poem
LikeLiked by 3 people
What wonderful memories you have filled your poem with Dwight.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Linda! I grew up in the 1950’s!
LikeLiked by 2 people
It has just occurred to me that although washing was much more labour intensive back then, wash day was once per week. Now it’s every day, sometimes twice or even three times! A fine example of how better technology does not lead to less consumption…
LikeLiked by 2 people
What an interesting observation! This was also when you weren’t balancing washing clothes with a full time job! Thank you Ingrid!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Another good point! Thanks Dwight 😊
LikeLiked by 2 people
But in every era, some women have always worked outside the home, and then had to also take care of their own households.
LikeLiked by 2 people
It seems that way! Survival means doing whatever it takes!
LikeLiked by 2 people
That made doing laundry sound kind of enjoyable Dwight.
Nice poem!💖
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on The Reluctant Poet and commented:
Reliving Memories!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the memories, Dwight! 😊😁🎁✨👍
LikeLiked by 1 person
No one has ever been able tor replicate the wondrous smell of clothes drying in sunshine and fresh breezes. I was intrigued by the idea of running one end of the clothes line up a flag pole as in your photo! Fascinating.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I remember those days of hanging clothes outdoors to dry 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Rosaliene. Great memories!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Dwight, a beautifully described laundry day. ❤ I remember those days and used to help my mother hang clothes on the line when I was a young child. I had ironing instruction in the 4H club. I used to do the ironing when I was in high school while listening to music on the radio. Glad we don't have to do any of that anymore! ❤
LikeLiked by 2 people
I love the tanka form, Dwight, and these are wonderful. Such a collection of memories here. I have very early memories of hanging the wash with my gran, including the scent of sun and her wrinkled hands placing the old-fashioned clothespins just so.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you De! They are always great memories for me. I am glad you enjoyed the momories!
LikeLiked by 1 person
All hail alternate energy sources!! 😉
LikeLiked by 2 people
Works very well if you have space for the lines or the HOA doesn’t restrict you from doing so.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I think there are people who would never hang the laundry so the neighbor could see (especially not the underwear)
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ha ha! Back then we were out in the country and neighbors were spread out!
LikeLiked by 1 person
A lovely poem and picture ❤❤
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you very much! Glad you enjoyed it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re very welcome ❤🌹
LikeLiked by 1 person
This brought a huge smile on my face 😀 my grandmother used to wash and hang her laundry outside in the sun to dry 💝💝
LikeLiked by 2 people
Those were the days. Hard work with great reward! Thank you Sanaa!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I remember those days!! I loved the smell and crisp feel of sheets dried on the line.
LikeLiked by 2 people
It is a one of a kind experience! Fresh sheets are hard to beat!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I miss it! I don’t have a clothesline anymore. I suppose I could attempt to hang the sheets on the dog’s runner, but that wouldn’t be very practical.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ha ha… especially if you still have a dog!! :>)
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh, we still have a dog–and he loves to get himself a-tangled!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hopefully not in you clothes!! :>)
LikeLiked by 2 people
No, not in our clothes, just around the shrubbery. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
:>)
LikeLike
The sun and wind will dry these clothes on the line. I smiled at this part:
Undies just hung on the line
LikeLiked by 2 people
:>) I am glad it made you smile! Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh how I love the memory of clothespins. I wonder if they are still made.
LikeLiked by 2 people
So marvellous 👌🌷🙏
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much! Great memories.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I love the sensory experiences in this tanka series, and in the photo you can almost feel the breeze.
We always had a clothes dryer, but I remember my mom telling me that when my brother was a baby she had to lug him and the laundry from a laundry place where she washed it. Then she hung it from lines from their apartment window. This was in Philadelphia.
LikeLiked by 2 people
That was a lot of hard work for her! Doing laundry is a labor intensive job!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes, it is!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I always loved having a clothes line. The clothes smelled amazing
LikeLiked by 1 person
They really do smell so fresh! Thank you so much.
LikeLike
Nice tanka. It brought back memories.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Someone had a busy day! 🙂
LikeLike
Yes, and lots of hard work!
LikeLiked by 1 person
My husband would echo that sentiment – yard work for him today. 🙂
LikeLike
I cannot relate because I never grew up with that, but you paint a very vivid picture and I love it!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This was from 65 years ago when I was a young child!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
:>)
LikeLike