Wash My Sins Away

I'd warned her many times
one item, full wash, full spin
noise alone should have
been enough,
but now, banging for drum heaven
the machine's ghost itself departed.

Just Sunday left,
and from my wet window,
today's future looked stormy.
So I loaded the bath,
soap powder, hot water, and
a week's clothes,
hand-washed all, then tried to
wash the soap out, bugger.

As light bulbs go
this idea shone semi-dim
in a stupid kind of way
that had feasibility.
So Your Honour,
I was pegging out clothes
drenched through
in the height of a rain storm,
to rinse them, yes, rinse them.
when she came home
and said the wrong thing.

Jerry Pike