Yard Sale of Thoughts

I reach my hands into the washing drum;

delicate garments emerge from surface foam.

I lift a filthy thing,

one that contains an infinitely desirable odor

of what we’ve just done.

I rub.

Try to seduce the stains off this outfit,

tease the dirt with a teaspoon of bubbles,

but after a brief fiction, I know this will be a short affair.

I hold his garments underwater,

until the detergent penetrates the fabric squares.

This chore makes me ill-tempered,

as what was on the highest heat setting

now finds me easily offended.

The dingy drawers,

the shrinking desire,

the fading flame

pressed flat;

no wringing of hands

no fraying, just the same

limp garments

waiting for someone else

to hang.

©2024 | K.F. Hartless

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Cover Art: Laundry Day-Portrait of a Beautiful Woman Making Laundry (2019) by Ola Bogakovsky

Prompt: Write a poem in which the speaker is identified with, or compared to, a character from myth or legend.

Did I have you worried, dear reader? Come, come, I always finish what I’ve started. This month has been an amazing adventure in poetry. Thank you for accompanying me on this journey.

I’ve written to this prompt before, actually, and my poem, Diana Does the Dishes, has an audio recording as well. While I was short on time and energy this month, I’m proud to say I was able to complete each of the NaPoWriMo assignments with joy. Cheers!