artwork: vincent van gogh (from old postcard reproduction)
Note Posted Under the
Lost Pet Notices
by Joan Wiese
Johannes
You probably
don’t remember me, but I am wondering
why you no
longer do your laundry on Friday nights.
You are the
guy in your thirties who wore nice shirts,
usually plaid,
suggesting that you came here from work,
which is good
because I like men who work.
Your shirts
were wrinkled, so I figured you were single.
And since you
didn’t wash your sheets every week,
I surmised
that you weren’t getting a lot, which is good
because a girl
can’t be too careful these days.
Your underwear
impressed me; briefs are unpretentious,
and you
replace them before they go gray or the elastic dies.
I also liked
the way you rolled your socks into little balls
before tossing
them into your bag. You never missed,
which is good
because I like men who athletic.
I didn’t speak
to you the first time I saw you because
I was wearing
old, green sweatpants.
The next week,
not expecting to see you again,
I wore my
glasses and my hair was dirty.
Once I
introduced you to Bounce when your
towel stuck
to your tee
shirt but was too shy to introduce myself.
Now I miss our
meetings and hope you have just changed
your laundry
schedule and haven’t lost your job, moved,
or found
someone to iron your shirts.
~ first
published in Free Verse
