Hymn To An Art-O-Matic Laundromat

Hymn to an Art-o-matic Laundromat by Michael R. Burch after Richard Thomas Moore’s “Hymn to an Automatic Washer” O, terrible-immaculate ALL-cleansing godly Laundromat, where cleanliness is next to Art —a bright Kinkade (bought at K-Mart), a Persian rug (made in Taiwan), a Royal Bonn Clock (time zone Guam)— embrace my ass in cushioned vinyl, erase all marks: ****, v-g-nal, penile, inkspot, red wine, dirt. O, sterilize her skirt, my shirt, my skidmarked briefs, her padded bra; suds-away in your white maw all filth, the day’s accumulation. Make us pure by INUNDATION. Published by The Oldie, where it was the winner of a poetry contest. Keywords/Tags: hymn, art, America, laundry, laundromat, washer, dryer, appliances, clean, cleaning, cleanliness, clothes, clothing, underwear, god, godly, godliness, water, baptism, inundation, sonnet, analogy This poem was inspired by the incongruence of discovering "works of art" while doing laundry at a laundromat with coin-operated washers and dryers. I was reminded of the experience while reading Richard Moore’s “Hymn to an Automatic Washer.”