Scarlett Treat - Soap

Mama did the laundry
In a black iron washpot
Every Monday of the world
Whether it rained or not!

She filled that old pot
With hand-drawn water
From a deep, deep well,
With a windlass that squeaked
And groaned horribly.
But that water, when finally drawn,
Came out clear and cold as ice.

She had to build a roaring fire
Under that old iron pot,
And when it got hot,
That water 'biled.'

She pushed the clothes in,
Punching them up and down,
Up and down,
With a long oak 'jubbing' stick,
Worn smooth as glass
From repeated wash days.

Lye soap made its final dip,
And with the motion
Of the old 'jubbing' stick,
The laundry was cleaned.

After a rinse in that sweet,
Cold, clear drawn water,
Her yard bloomed like a
Giant cotton boll,
With pants and sheets hung
On every fence row,
And underwear on every post! !

If it did rain that day,
Our kitchen smelled of wet garments
For days on end, and the game became
Duck the Wet Clothes Hanging Everywhere! !

One of the blessings of Modern Days? ? ?
Well, a washer and dryer, of course! !
And I don't even have to iron any more - -
So WHY do I have to do laundry
SEVEN DAYS A WEEK? ? ? ?

Scarlett Treat

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