Thursday, July 17, 2008

A Lament on Laundry by Diane LeBleu

Woe is me, the basket is full to the brim.
It’s time to do laundry again!
How can this be? I was just caught up.
Yesterday’s empty basket is now full to the top.
The laundry ‘suck’ multiplier is based on number of children per store.
I have four, there will be no more.
‘Tis small comfort when there’s so many loads to fold.
Up and down the stairs I go
basket upon basket in tow.
Clean, dry, fold is my daily refrain.
More towels from the pool, the gym, the fort in the backyard. Here we go again!
Some claim batching is best. Save the hell for one day.
Others spread out the pain, doing one or two loads per day.
Our grandmothers really did have a reason to complain.
A day spent with a wash tub, soap, clothes pins and line, knuckles red, raw, and in pain.
Now we have dry cleaners, front-loaders and 2X concentrate Tide(what a scam!)
Delicates, sheets, towels, whites, and darks
What I wouldn’t give to be playing with my babies at the park!
My utility room has no utility.
I rearrange, add shelves and hooks to increase the miniscule space, all an exercise in futility.
In summer, the laundry volume is high,
Chlorine scented suits from the pool, towels caked in sand from the beach are enough to make me lose my mind (or look for the wine!)
Will it ever end?
Danielle is now ten, a perfect age to start.
Her help with my chores will play a very big part
In my keeping my sanity on this laundry lament.
Of course, I will need a very big stick (carrot?) to get her to do her share in this bit.
Today when I went into her room with a pile of freshly laundered clothing folded nice and neat,
Two piles of clothing lay at my feet.
Which one was yesterday’s clean and today’s smelly and worn?
It’s no wonder this vicious cycle of laundry cannot be won!
Better gather them all up for washing, just in case.

2 comments:

Maggie said...

oh, Diane I feel your pain. You know that 9 times out of 10 when you call me and ask "what are you doing?" the answer is "laundry". And I only have 2 children.

Unknown said...

Thanks for the giggle! You're so talented! I love ya! Love, Holly