The Clothesline

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 designs.

The line announced a baby's birth

From 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 also 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 and gray
As neighbors carefully raised their brows
And looked the other way . . .

But clotheslines now are of the past
For dryers make work much 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!