Canticle of the Washing Machine
Be praised, my Lord,
for the washing machine,
whose swingle flails the soiled and stained.
And he ministers to the splot, the blotch, the spattered cuff.
Be praised, my Lord,
for your spirit that comes upon him,
for his jump and and jug, jug, jug.
(My infant son slept on his shaking back.
The meek love him and cling to his sides.)
For the flange, which shakes the floorboards,
sends the cat beneath the bed.
Be praised, my Lord, for the agitator,
through whose pivot and plunge into tub
many of the most smudged are cleaned.
Be praised, my Lord, for the delicate cycle,
in which lace and wool can be soaked.
Blessed is the soapy breath
that sweetens each room of my house.
Praise and bless the Lord,
whose will is done by these God's servants:
wringer, pulley, drum.
-by Anya Silver in America, Vol. 198, No. 14, April 28, 2008
Anya Silver has published poetry in Image, Christian Century, Crab Orchard Review, Cream City Review, and Southern Poetry Review. A chapbook, Saints of Autumn, was published by Redbone Chapbooks. She teaches in the English Department at Mercer University in Macon, GA, where she lives with her husband and son. She is a survivor of inflammatory breast cancer.
As with so many things in my life, I thank God for my washing machine after the repair man leaves and has fixed what has been broken.
ReplyDeleteHad I the gift of writing and the time some 30+ years ago, I might have been able to write this prayer! I had just gotten my first and very own washer and dryer! I remember gazing at that white Kenmore set in wonderment and awe! I would never again have to schlep to the laundromat with baskets overflowing and quarters in abundance!
ReplyDeleteI was a young mother of a 6 month old son who generated dirty laundry faster than I had ever deemed possible!! As each of the other 3 children arrived in rapid succession, I learned to appreciate those machines and developed a deep reverence for them!
There were 2 things in those days that sent me into a genuine tizzy..sick children and/or a "sick" washer and dryer. Those two events collided one day and it was NOT a pretty sight...
I was not wise enough then to say a prayer of praie & thanksgiving for all that Mr & Mrs Kenmore provided for me... Be praised Lord indeed!