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 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 out on the line!

The Clothesline written by Marilyn K. Walker

 

And I saw new heavens and a new earth, for the first ones had passed away; and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, that is, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And then I heard a great voice from heaven, which said, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them, and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there will be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither will there be any more pain, for the former things have passed away.

Revelation 21:1-4