Oh, how I remember the clothesline
Our clothes blowing in the wind
The wonderful smell of fresh clean sheets
Were an extra dividend.
We’d carry the laundry up the stairs
From down in the cellar below
Hanging the towels and flat things outside
So unmentionables wouldn’t show.
Working hard to get them all down
In the case of a sudden shower
Hanging them everywhere, here and there
So they wouldn’t mold or sour.
Taking the time on wash day
To wave to a neighbor and talk
Sharing the neighborhood gossip
Around the block on a walk.
The hypnotic effect of shirts and aprons
Dancing in the breeze
Bring to mind acrobatic couples
On the high trapeze.
No matter what type of dryer sheets
Or softener you might buy,
Mother Nature’s fresh perfume
Is best! (I cannot lie.)