John Zoller Poet Narrative

Wasch Und Fun

"Wasch und Fun"

No need to translate for me for an hour and a half.
You left me to wash  undies at the Wasch und Fun 
while you shopped for lox and wine.
I found the soap and the wasch; but the Fun  eludes.

Every patron, 
even the suspect simultaneously wearing four pairs of pants,
switched out of Deutsch, enjoying the random and unexpected
dusting off of their  Englisch. 

We were united in our cluelessness
of the washing machines mannerisms and the 
strange dichotomy on the open door with the sign that said  “geschlossen”.
We washed in defiance of the sign, desperate for clean clothes on Christmas,
urgently willing the machines to finish drying before the sign proved true. 

You blended into your town again; repatriated anonymity. 
An  American disguised as a local, shopping on Christmas eve in Freiburg,
while your new husband washed undies,
happily oblivious to almost every word  anyone uttered.
Ninety minutes without a translator. Clean clothes and 
Wine for Christmas in Deutschland. 
Bitte.
     -   -   -	                    
JDZoller   Copyright (c) December 2009

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Andrea Dietrich February 12, 2010 at 8:04 AM I am glad I found you here at Soup, John, are you living in Germany now? YOu have a very intelligent style in your writing which I appreciate. I don't see it used a WHOLE lot, although I love many of the poems here at the Soup. LUv, Andrea