Laundry Day

By: Meredith McCrary

Laundry Day by: Geovan Sebastian Avalos

On laundry day, dad pins clothes across a thin wire.

On laundry day, he shakes them out to make sure they don’t crinkle when they dry.

To try and smooth out the memory with the tips of your fingers.

On laundry day, a small child, with pudgy hands, and heavy shoes tries to grasp at the pins.

She tries to smooth the clothes herself.

On laundry day, she pushes the clothes and runs beneath them.

She holds herself against her dad’s legs.

Tries to latch on something so bad. 

To try to hold onto a fading figure, and say “look at me”.

And the laundry shifts.

The wind brushes by the girl.

She is pinning her own laundry up.

Grasping at the faded figures of legs.

The wind is singing,

and she tries to perfect out the clothes full of stains.

Smooths out a memory she thinks she can almost feel.