deepundergroundpoetry.com
Death and Clean Laundry
I left your cup
next to the sink -
it’s empty, like me
it needs to be
cleansed,
given a fresh start
but I’m not sure
I believe
in new beginnings
anymore
I put your clothes away,
as if freshly starched
shirts and clean socks
will bring you back;
you left your laundry
in the dryer again,
wrinkling in stagnancy
and weight;
it took me months
to touch it
always in a hurry,
you never even bothered
to say goodbye,
instead you just vanished;
it’s incredulous, like you’ve
been raptured away
in the middle of a
Wednesday afternoon,
all your worldly
possessions just
left behind,
like me
next to the sink -
it’s empty, like me
it needs to be
cleansed,
given a fresh start
but I’m not sure
I believe
in new beginnings
anymore
I put your clothes away,
as if freshly starched
shirts and clean socks
will bring you back;
you left your laundry
in the dryer again,
wrinkling in stagnancy
and weight;
it took me months
to touch it
always in a hurry,
you never even bothered
to say goodbye,
instead you just vanished;
it’s incredulous, like you’ve
been raptured away
in the middle of a
Wednesday afternoon,
all your worldly
possessions just
left behind,
like me
Published 14th Apr 2023
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likes 12
reading list entries 4
comments 18
reads 244
Commenting Preference:
The author encourages honest critique.
To convey absence in the objects left behind is powerful, the voice has a measured pace and emotion that is resonant. It reminds me how the business of living goes on for everyone left behind. 💖🙏🏻
As people having been saying from current events, it's the kind of emotional beingness an AI could not facsimilate. 🌬️🍃 I did laundry today, by the by.
As people having been saying from current events, it's the kind of emotional beingness an AI could not facsimilate. 🌬️🍃 I did laundry today, by the by.
15th Apr 2023 3:11am
14th Apr 2023 4:52am
Dear L,
There is a hollowness that is almost impossible to define after a sudden death that leaves those in its wake roaming the earth in a zombie-like response. And it’s always the day to day stuff that makes the loss unbearable. You so deftly capture this heartbreak in your typical beautiful manner. H🌷
There is a hollowness that is almost impossible to define after a sudden death that leaves those in its wake roaming the earth in a zombie-like response. And it’s always the day to day stuff that makes the loss unbearable. You so deftly capture this heartbreak in your typical beautiful manner. H🌷
15th Apr 2023 3:12am
Anonymous
- Edited 29th May 2023 7:45am
14th Apr 2023 4:24pm
<< post removed >>
15th Apr 2023 3:13am
Anonymous
- Edited 22nd Apr 2023 10:45am
15th Apr 2023 2:49am
<< post removed >>
15th Apr 2023 3:13am
15th Apr 2023 3:33pm
Holy shit.
This is my favorite of yours all time. Already.
Perfect. The details to build the mood. The despair mixed in with the continuation of some routine. Excellent Luna.
This is my favorite of yours all time. Already.
Perfect. The details to build the mood. The despair mixed in with the continuation of some routine. Excellent Luna.
15th Apr 2023 4:01pm
15th Apr 2023 5:32pm
There is something so fragile about the things the deceased have left behind.
This is such a beautiful and gentle exploration of that. I love the contrast in the title. Clean laundry is not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of lost loved ones, yet somehow it"s those small, seemingly unimportant things that can be the most painful.
This is such a beautiful and gentle exploration of that. I love the contrast in the title. Clean laundry is not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of lost loved ones, yet somehow it"s those small, seemingly unimportant things that can be the most painful.
15th Apr 2023 5:58pm
Indeed, I’ve learned that grief really lives in the small details of the days after a loss. Thank you so much for reading and I’d like to extend a warm welcome to DU!
Anonymous
- Edited 29th Apr 2023 8:45pm
21st Apr 2023 1:49am
<< post removed >>
21st Apr 2023 2:11am
22nd May 2023 6:25pm
Oh this is deep and touching. The little reminders of every day common things have such a profound meaning. Solid write.
22nd May 2023 10:24pm
1st Feb 2024 00:04am
2nd Feb 2024 2:30pm
