So this is how you treat me. You pack up and go away
And leave me here alone while you head off on holiday.
No postcard. Not a word. Then you roll in, relaxed and tanned –
And suddenly it’s down to me to drive the salt and sand
From swimsuits, beach towels, t-shirts, shorts and other stuff you wore.
A multi-hued tsunami that engulfs the kitchen floor.
I started work at five o’clock the morning you returned:
For three days straight, without a break, my mechanism churned.
I’d wash and rinse and spin, then yet another load would come;
A never-ending cycle. But you never beat my drum.
For though I’m gentle on your woollens, delicate I’m not:
I’m German engineering at its finest, and I’ve got
Die Kraft to work my way through tonnes of Unterwäsche, Hosen –
For your schmutzige Kleidung I’m the best you could have chosen.
I serve in silence, seek no thanks, and ask for nothing more
Than that you unblock my filters, scoop the gunk out of my drawer
And run me through my de-fluff programme every now and then.
So when you come back next year, I can do it all again.
Our long-serving, long-suffering washing machine has run almost continuously since we returned from holiday, calmly tackling three weeks’ worth of laundry without missing a beat. This ridiculous poem is both a tribute to the folks at Bosch, and a humble gift for my dear friend Christine. N.
Oh Nick!! You are a star, this is brilliant! And the laughter tears are still pouring down my face as I type! Only you could do the washing machine justice in this poetic way. The folks at Bosch would be proud of you!
I am definitely printing this gift to keep! Thank you! 😊 x
You’re welcome, Christine – glad you enjoyed it! I had fun writing it, as you can probably tell; this could be the start of a whole ‘white goods’ collection…you have been warned. 🙂 N.xx
Hahaa! I wait with baited breath! x
Lovely poem Nick 🙂 xx
Thank you, Ina: it’s also a very silly one… 🙂
Just a delightful read!
Thank you, Charles – it’s reminded me there’s a poem in everything if you look long and hard enough! Great to hear from you, as always. N.
Bravo – greatly enjoyed 😀
I’m delighted to hear it, Mike, thank you. I must confess I had to resort to some online translation tools, as my German is far from ‘ausgezeichnet’…N.
This reminds me of a children’s poem I wrote about a stove once upon a time, Nick. This is a triumph! Poor old washing machine. Lucky vacationers…except they are back to the grind, aren’t they? Ahhhh.