John Lawless Poet Free verse

Clothes Call

Does that old clothespin feel the cold
Worry about its aged look
Sun dried, rain tinted, grayed

Does it think about the “clothing”
Children’s flapping diapers
Growing to blue jeans

The “old man’s” shirts
He’s still working
As is the clothespin

Mostly it gets the heavy work
Stuff too bulky for the clothes dryer
Beach towels, blankets, bedspreads

Cold winds are its dance partners
Sticky snow makes it look like an elf
Does warm sun set it to dreaming

I hang an old shirt on the line
The old clothespin smiles
Whispers … back to work

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Michael Tor March 9, 2025 at 9:04 PM Ideal conditions makes everything right all the clothespin agree...

Gershon Wolf February 24, 2025 at 8:39 PM I love these kind of subjects, the elevation of the neglected, the downtrodden, be they objects or people. Thanks for a great read!

Hilda Greenhough February 23, 2025 at 5:25 PM Thanks for a poem about an old-fashioned laundry helper. The older clothespins were one piece wooden pegs. Later came the snap on type. Clothes smelled so clean when they hung in the sun. I enjoy your retro poem.

Eileen Manassian February 22, 2025 at 1:43 AM I enjoyed this piece. Every stanza took me deeper into this reflective piece. Lovely to try to image what a clothes pin would think. That last stanza is so reflective of what each one of us has to do despite life's stormsand the passage of time...back to work!

Ilene Bauer February 21, 2025 at 9:48 AM i enjoyed this, john! i still have some old wooden ones, but they're mostly plastic ones with springs now.