DO YOU REMEMBER 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 tablecloths
    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,

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!




STORIES ETC...     STONE ACRES