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It would begin with my Yaya
plucking the wooden clothespins from
her bulging apron pockets,
lifting from her wicker basket the clean
and cherished towels and sheets--
mercerized cotton and terrycloth--
playsuits and dresses, even our undies--
seersucker, polyester and cotton, all our days
with her, diligently hand-wrung in her laundry cellar
and carried upstairs to be slung over the lines, to allow
air and light to do the rest while
we played beneath them in the cool,
tickling grasses she let grow so high.
© by Andrea Potos.
Used with the author's permission.
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Andrea Potos, who writes in longhand, is a longtime independent bookseller and the author of numerous books; the latest is Mothershell, from Kelsay Books. Andrea loves reading, travel, cafes, and walking beside lakes and on green trails—“of which there are many,” she says, in Madison, Wisconsin, where she lives. Andrea’s Greek grandparents and their spirit have been an abiding presence and inspiration throughout her life and poetry.
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Anastasia:
A moment captured so well!
Posted 09/23/2020 12:57 PM
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barbara eknoian:
A beautiful remembrance of Yaya.
Posted 09/20/2020 04:20 PM
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paradea:
Lovely!!
Posted 09/17/2020 10:39 PM
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michael escoubas:
My mother and grandmother come alive in this fine poem. Thank you Andrea.
Posted 09/17/2020 08:34 PM
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cscoville:
What a beautiful reminder that heaven surrounds us each day if we have the eyes to see it.
Posted 09/17/2020 05:44 PM
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Lori Levy:
Beautiful memory.
Posted 09/17/2020 03:07 PM
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CamilleBalla:
I enjoyed so much those days of hanging clothes on the line outside while my children were playing. Would enjoy it still today. Thanks for the nice memories.
Posted 09/17/2020 01:33 PM
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Stephen Anderson:
I love this ode to a much cherished elder in your life. It seems we too often tend to distance ourselves from memories of their richness in our lives.
Posted 09/17/2020 12:01 PM
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Gilbert Allen:
An evocative, heartfelt poem.
Posted 09/17/2020 09:04 AM
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mail@schoolbusmart.com:
Liked the image of the clothespins in the apron' s pocket. Haven't seen that in a long time. Randy
Posted 09/17/2020 08:50 AM
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Larry Schug:
This poem deserves many readings. It's a painting, it's a movie, it's a novel. It has that magic ingredient-texture. The words signify an awareness of the ever present now.
Posted 09/17/2020 08:32 AM
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Sharon Waller Knutson:
I am an Andrea Potos fan. Nice nostalgia poem. I remember my grandmother washing clothes in a wringer washer and hanging them on the line. My mother preferred to hang clothes on the line even though there was a laundromat across the street.
Posted 09/17/2020 08:14 AM
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