The Clothesline

I thought this was sweet. Enjoy!

The clothesline....a dead give away. Do the kids today even know what a clothesline is? For all of us that are older, this will really bring memories. For those of you who are younger, it will add some thoughts.

THE BASIC RULES

1. You had to wash the clothes line before hanging any clothes. Walk the length of each line with a damp cloth around the line.

2. You had to hang the clothes in a certain order and always hang whites with whites and hang them first.

3. You never hung a shirt by the shoulders, always by the tail. What would the neighbors think?


CLOTHESLINES

A clothesline was a news forecast 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 upon the line;
You'd see the company table cloths with intricate design.

The line announced a baby's birth to folks who lived 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 nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too, haphazardly were strung.

It said, "Gone on vacation now" when lines hung limp and bare.
It told, "We're back!" when full lines sagged with not an inch to spare.

New folks in town were scorned upon if wash was dingy gray,
As neighbors raised their brows and looked the other way.

But clotheslines now are of the past for dryers make work less.
Now what goes on inside a home is anybody's guess.

I really miss that way of life - it was a friendly sign
When neighbors knew each other best by what hung on the line!