Sunday Smiles

The Clothesline

The clothsline was a newsforcast

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 on the line;

You'd see the comp'ny tablecloths

With their intricate design.

The line announced a baby's birth

To folks who linved inside;

As brand new infant clothes were hung

So carefully with pride.

The ages of the children could

so readily be 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 nighclothes and a bathrobe, too,

Haphazardly were strung.

It said, "Gone on vacation now!"

When the lines hung limp and bare.

It told, "We're back!" when full

With not an inch to spare.

New folks in town were scorned upon

If their wash was dingy grey;

As neighbors raised their brows

And looked disgustedly away.

But clotheslines now are of the past

For dryers make work less.

Today what goes on inside a home

Is anybody's guess.

I really miss that way of life...

It was a friendly sighn;

When neighbors knew each other best

By what hung on the line!

-Author Unknown