I've mentioned the cultural differences of living in Switzerland with regards to our, um, dirty laundry here before.
Just like laundry itself, it is a never ending story...
But today I'm going to talk about how our once a week laundry ritual affects the wee-est in our family.
Smidgey.
She does NOT like laundry day. When her (security) blankets get gathered into a basket, she panics. She has been known to climb in the basket, too!
 |
| Someone gets a little extra clingy... without static. |
Then when I carry the basket out the door and down to our building's laundry room, she does this:
I always put her blankets in the first load - both for fur management reasons and to minimize her trauma. Once the blankets are brought back up, she does this for the rest of the day:
(While her blankets get washed, Smidgey still has TWO pillows to lay about on. We're not savages!)
Unfortunately no amount of reassuring words seem to help her anxiety. She just doesn't understand where her blankets go or trust that they will return.
Week. After. Week.
I've come to realize that I think I share a bit of Smidgey's anxiety. Not about my blankets getting laundered, but about my understanding of what the future holds.
Will life as we knew it ever come back?
Will it smell better?
I find myself sitting by the door (metaphorically) wondering what I can do while I wait.
Today it is poetry.
an itchiness on
the inside of my skin
keeps me rooted to
the threshold
waiting for what I know is gone -
a sense of safety
comfort in my surroundings
a warm carefree embrace
my thoughts pretzel
as I try to reassure myself
with poetry
©2021, Bridget Magee. All Rights Reserved.
Join Ruth as she hosts this week's Poetry Friday roundup.
Poor Smidgey. Your poem captures what I (and I suspect many others) are feeling--that itchiness under the skin and anxiously waiting for what comes next.
ReplyDeleteYep, Kay, we're all in that uncertainty. Glad I'm in this moment with you. :)
Deleteooooh, I just hate it when I know my pet is anxious. There's no human way to soothe them until all is right in their world. I'm sorry, Smidgey. You must have clean blankets. That's all there is too it. Smidgey has told me though, that if you have duplicates....to rotate....maybe?
ReplyDeleteYeah, the blanket rotation would be good if we had access to the machines more than one day a week and severely limited linen storage space. Shared laundry is the pits...I don't recommend it, especially with a dog. But Smidgey is always happy with her clean blankets...
DeleteSmidgey seems to not like laundry day. I love the cuddly scenes and this line: my thoughts pretzel. I can understand the poetry is the soother.
ReplyDeleteSmidgey is spooked by a lot, not just laundry days. She is our special girl. :)
Delete'My thoughts pretzel' - how clever! I am sorry for Smidgey, but I did love hearing about his anxiety,. And hugs to you as we all wait and wonder about the future.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sally! Anxiety is a fickle affliction...some days are worse than others. I'm going to try to dwell in the thoughts that the future is going to great! :)
DeleteOh Smidgey! So hard to trust the world...I'm glad you aren't savages, Bridget. :) :) :) Thanks for your poem. xo
ReplyDeleteThanks, Irene! By the look Smidgey gives us as she waits for her laundry service to be complete you'd think we were savages. But she's always appreciative in the end. :)
DeleteOh, Smidgey, my goodness, I wish it didn't have to be this way! Bridget, every morning I wake up & remember, "oh, yes, it is that pandemic!" Your line "my thoughts pretzel" is so on mark. If I didn't have reading, writing, & going to the bookstore. . . Wishing you a lovely weekend, however it 'unbends'!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Linda! I feel like we've been living in a perpetual pretzel for the last year...so done already. Soon...
DeleteYes, great poem -- we're all feeling it. Enjoyed hearing about Smidgey even though it's about her laundry day anxiety. Poor girl! The not knowing, whether for human or dog, is torturous!
ReplyDeleteYes, we have more in common with our dog than I sometimes I want to admit. ;)
DeletePoor Smidgey. I'm glad he has such caring family to try to help with anxiety. And glad we all have poetry to try to soothe our own.
ReplyDeleteYes, I can not imagine what life would be like without poetry...or our sweet Smidgey. :)
DeleteOh, Smidgey. Sam the Schnauzer sends you an anxious doggie paw-bump. Bridget, "my thoughts pretzel" is a perfect description of how it feels when our minds twist in knots.
ReplyDeleteSmidgey sends mighty high paw, Laura! She loves to hear from fellow poochies, anxious or otherwise. :)
DeleteYes. Remember warm carefree embraces? Such cute photos and story about Smidgey. It's really clever how you put these short stories together with so much feeling.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Janice! Yes, I remember and miss warm embraces so much. I so love that you read and enjoy my posts. :)
DeleteI totally get it, Smidgey!
ReplyDeleteSmidgey appreciates your positive affirmations, Ruth! :)
Delete"My thoughts pretzel"--brilliant! Your posts are a bright spot in my week, Bridget!
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks, Molly! May we all untwist soon! :)
DeleteSweet Smidgey. Too bad she doesn't have poetry to console her and take care of that inner itchiness. Good thing you do!
ReplyDeleteYes, I try reading Smidgey poetry, but I'm usually met with closed eyes or a furry tail walking away. Blankets are her poetry. :)
DeleteYour poem really hits the nail on the head, Bridget. There's always something, isn't there? If not missing blankets, it's missing people. Yesterday Preston howled while I was gone. (He needs more poetry.)
ReplyDeletePoor Preston! You are HIS person! Smidgey (more likely us) would get in so much trouble from our neighbors if she howled when we weren't home. She's pretty quite at home with or without us as long as she has her blankets. :)
Deleteoh oh oh yes. I love that last stanza. I wonder what would happen if you carried Smidgey down to the laundry room IN her basket so she could see what happens to her blankets?
ReplyDeleteYeah, Heidi, she has visited and is completely unimpressed. She wonders why the blankets disappear into those big white boxes...oh the injustice! ;)
DeleteLife is confusing for a dog...and their dog owners. :)
I need to know if Smidgey knows anything about the socks thst go missing! Has she figured that one out yet? Poor Smidgey, but she looks awfully cute draped in her security blanket.
ReplyDelete