
Nat Lipstadt Nov 2013
5:00am and folding laundry

when the inspiration tank is yellow lit,
and E stands for more than empty,
g e n u i n e emptiness,
try this remedy that is a
first generation family secret!

fold the laundry.
all kinds.
his n' hers,
blacks n' whites
really clean and

and the kind that never get clean,
no matter how much d e t e r-g e n t
you use, how oft you wash 'em...


1. fold only when wearing t- shirt, tank top, briefs (optional)
2. put on Pandora 60's rock n ' roll (folk rock - highly recommend Runaround Sue by Dion and the Belmonts, The Wedding Song, The House of the Rising Sun)
3. dance, shake, improve your moves when nobody's looking
3a. control yourself, if you must sing, at the top of your lungs is not acceptable.
If alone skip, skip to no. 5
4. every third piece give a sniff, get high on
fresh starts, clean notions, the idea that all can be washed away
4a. Every third piece of hers give an extra sniff,
so you can know why love keeps you alive
5, if you have to sing, then only loud acceptable
(***** the others, you're doing the folding, they're sleep-dreaming)
6. drink lots of water
7. have pen + paper handy cause ain't no doubt
the poet puppet muse masters gonna smack you
when folding sheets alone.
8. finish the write and post it ASAP
9. always leave the single socks on top of the dryer,
a prayer to the laundry gods for the
safe return of their better halves
10. finish
11. If done correctly, you need to shower (wash hair!)
12, around 6:00am, all scrubbed and clean,
fold yourself back into her arms. Snuggle, spoon.
13. when she mumbles you smell clean, you reply,
                                  "been folding laundry, writing poetry,
                                   and the clean smell done fell on me"
14. if alone, despair not, read this poem and know we are together
15. believe this day is full of possibilities,
write me a poem, put the load right on me

there are stains that cannot be removed,
deterred by this gent, and his a-gents,
they are history, treat'em with respect
and not more

every poem must end,
so when the folding is done,

*the day ahead is full of possibilities
like the pleasured making of my clothes happy soiled,
so I possess an excuse, a reason, a rationale for living
to fold laundry again!
I have no idea where these crazies come from.
"But it's sad and it's sweet
And I knew it complete
When I wore a younger man's clothes"
Maestro Bill Joel

For Harriet Tecumsah Watt

CastorPolydeuces Oct 2016
With lofty airs and
folding chairs
we formed our grungy rule,
we grew from weeds and
broken swings
into a pungent cool,
Our reign is *****, decadent
more indulgent than your dreams
for we lost our morals
and our hope among
the broken things.
Each caste has their own classes, the lowest of the low, the highest of the low, etc. I know we're pretty poor and lame, but at least we're good at it.
Sitting at the table
Cards have all been dealt
The direction of my future
Lies before me on the felt

I'll play the cards before me
I have to go all in
If I do not take the gamble
I guess I'll never win

I'm a dollar short of holding
I'll ride the highs and lows
I'm a dollar short of folding
I guess that's the way it goes
I'm a dollar short of holding
I'll ride the highs and lows
I'm a dollar short of folding
I guess that's the way it goes

The cards can tell your future
These cards tell mine so well
A dollar short of holding
It's my fear I smell

Do I bluff and risk my losing?
Do I fold and walk away?
The lord, he hates a coward
*******, I'm gonna play

I'm a dollar short of holding
I've got to go all  in
I'm a dollar short of folding
With not gamble, I don't win
I'm a dollar short of holding
It's up to me, just how I play
I'm a dollar short of folding
To live to see another day

— The End —