it is apartheid in the laundry
coloureds should not mix with whites
but I am an integrationist at heart
and democratic principles allow me leeway
to include whatever I want
sheets on top
a towel
the machine is overfull
in the alcove at the end of the kitchen
behind the bi-fold doors
that keep the worst excesses of noise at bay
and hide washing machine and water-troughs
old newspapers assorted screwdrivers
and long forgotten paraphernalia
including our first vacuum cleaner or sundry parts thereof
hanging to dry by the armload
a trolley or a basket would be a good idea
but …
here is a lesson for beginners:
never hang the sheets before the smalls and the shirts
they have a tendency to flap and to drape damply
causing hindrance to the process of pegging
and raise the temperature of frustration
perhaps wrath will help to hasten the drying
the principles of hanging washing came to me long ago
starting with the basics of forty nappies on the line
corner-to-corner going up
folded in squares and stacked when coming down
gradual progression to shirts hung upside down
pants right side up
hanging woman things can never be learnt
must simply be done as best one can
for there has never been an adequate way
for a man to hang brassieres or other lingerie
such attractive delicacies on occasion
yet so awkward and shapeless on the line
I suppose there is a proper place
for everything
© Frank Prem, 2002
220518
A very playful piece at heart, although the clever usage of the language of politics does hint towards a much deeper analogy without losing the slightly self-deprecating and wry tone.
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Thanks Michael.
Glad you enjoyed and thank you for stopping by and commenting. Appreciated.
Cheers,
Frank
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Proper message@ frank prem😊😊😊😊
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Thank you.
Cheers,
Frank
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Loved this, takes me back….but the end is hilarious!
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Glad you enjoyed.
Cheers,
Frank
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Hey Frank,
Love your take on this prompt! My attempt to it created a much darker message while yours left a lasting impression while having a sense of quirkiness and humor to it. I am definitely going to check out more work by you!
A Thought from,
Those Pointless Thoughts
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Thank you. It’sgreat that a piece has left an impression. I’m enjoying the randomness of what comes out of the archive to match up to a prompt.
I took a peek at a couple of your pieces and I thought they worked very well.
I’ll watch out for more.
Thanks for stopping by.
Cheers,
Frank
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Yes I noticed the years of publication noted at the bottom and I was just amazed by how far back it went and how vast your collection must be! And thank you so much for going through my blog as a new blogger it means a lot to me 🙂
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Yep, old fartville here, and listened to every one of them LOL.
Still a few in the kit bag, with a bit of luck.
Cheers,
Frank
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Thank goodness for dryers. In Portugal last month, most places have only a washer, so we learned how to hang clothes on the line anew. But, we never managed to learn how to use the washer-dryer in one. Never figured out how to get the dryer part to work.
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Sometimes what used to be simple becomes, not only complicated, but essential!
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