The wind beneath us
Misses our sweat, stains & messes
Rinsed in clean water
Scrubbed in soap & bleach
We jiggle & jam to be free
Instead you pin our shoulders on
Lines with brown clips
Hooked our faces to marvel
The heat from this cloudless day
Our bows are scattered across
Blues, pinks, blacks & whites
The sky watches the chorus
of birdsongs & buzzing bees
The green in the grass is new
You peer from the window
ready with your basket & starched hands
to fold us over your skin
Cotton- softly sagging, frayed edges
Linen- loosely wrinkled, stretched out
Smelling unabashedly - wind-kneaded, sun-baked -
Franz Marc, Flatternde Wäsche im Wind (1906)
Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - Poetics, March Wind Ekprastic, Hosted by Merril D. Smith. Thanks for your visits and comments.
I so love the thought of that linen, wind-kneaded sun-baked
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing better than that scent I think
This is absolutely gorgeous writing, Grace! Wow! I love; "We jiggle & jam to be free/Instead you pin our shoulders on/Lines with brown clips."💝💝
ReplyDeletesome wry personification so well employed here -
ReplyDelete"Instead you pin our shoulders on
Lines with brown clips"
I was hoping that someone would write as you did here a personification of this laundry on the line. So nicely done, Grace. I really love this--I just keeping reading it over!
ReplyDelete"You peer from the window
ReplyDeleteready with your basket & starched hands"
To admire the work well done. Nice one
Much love...
Evocative writing that so gracefully dances, complimenting Franz Marc's painting!
ReplyDeleteThe personification of clothing hanging on the line is a delight!!! Of course, they have feelings.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful ekphrastic essence captured here.
ReplyDeleteA wonderful personification. As light as the clothes floating on the breeze.
ReplyDeleteWind kneaded, sun baked… such a sweet clean fragrance. Excellent Grace
ReplyDelete“ Smelling unabashedly - wind-kneaded, sun-baked -”
ReplyDeleteOh goodness. I know and still love this scent. Made my toes curl to read this.
And the clothes on the line know it. How amazing is this. Thank you. 👏
The fragrance of freshly laundered clothes came out so beautifully in your words, Grace!
ReplyDeleteWe all remember that smell of wind-dried laundry, yet everyone aspires to a machine drier instead, even people with gardens. Don't understand it.
ReplyDeleteLove the sensations and turns of phrase in this, Grace. My favourites:
ReplyDelete"We jiggle & jam to be free"
"wind-kneaded, sun-baked"
:-)
Wonderful work!
ReplyDeleteYou captured all the sights, sounds and textures of this laundry swaying lively in the breeze!
ReplyDeleteWho doesn't appreciate fresh laundry that's been "wind-kneaded" and "sun-baked" ?! I like how you wrote this from the clothing's point of view, Grace :)
ReplyDeleteScented poetry, demanding to be free...intricately woven under the watchful sky...beautiful verse..
ReplyDelete