Temporarily

they lie
curled and swirled
in a basket of labor.

They smell of the day;
cigarettes and coffee
the grass and dog,
the sweat, the sex-
a scratch and sniff of where
they've been.


The coloreds and whites,
paisleys, printed and denims-
they are all mingled together.
A collage of color and odor


to be segregated later
into lights and darks.
To be centrifuged
to separate and flush
the day from the garment.


Michael A. Wells © 2010

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