The Clothesline

I received this poem in an e-mail and I just had to share.  We have allergy sufferers here so we were "medically advised" not to hang clothes or sheets outside.  I mean seriously, is breathing really that important??  Ever hear of Claritin??  OK, whatev.  I still love the LOOK of clothes on a clothesline and it reminds me of when I was little.  These clothespins are from the sweet Elyse at Cottage, and look, she put my name on one of them - SO PRESH!

I remember our clothesline in the backyard and my mom buying me some tiny wooden clothespins so I could hang up my doll clothes anywhere around the house.  I hadn't seen those in years and when I went in Michael's...OH MY ~ tiny clothespins!  I don't know what I'll use them for but they sure are cute.  I'm just going to look at them and smile and remember the good ol' days (sigh, head tilt).

I don't know what it was about clothespins and the NEED to put them on my nose or my big finger, but it hurt - and I still did it!  It must be genetic though, because when I brought the tiny clothespins home my son took one out and put it on his ear (and he's 21, not 4). Enjoy the poem, I tried to find the author online so I hope I am giving proper credit where credit is definitely due!  Enjoy ~
 

The Clothesline

A clothesline was a news forecast

to Neighbors passing by,

There were no secrets you could keep

when clothes were hung to dry.

It also was a friendly link

for neighbors always knew

If company had stopped on by

to spend a night or two.

For then you'd see the "fancy sheets"

And towels upon the lines;

You'd see the "company table cloths"

with intricate designs.

The line announced a baby's birth

from folks who lived inside -

As brand new infant clothes were hung

so carefully with pride!

The ages of the children could

so readily to 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 also 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 and gray,

As neighbors carefully raised their brows,

and looked the other way...

But clotheslines now are of the past,

for dryers make work much 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 neighbors knew each other best

by what hung on the line!