Prayer to the Angel of Laundry

(after Anne Sexton)

by Maria Koors

Forgive our sloppiness:

warbler-bright mustard stains

and dried spaghetti sauce that flakes like fudge.

Forgive scribbles of drool on pillows.

Forgive the smeared deodorant

beneath tank tops, tee shirts, and blouse sleeves.

Forgive the dermic residue on towels

and coffee spots on bathrobes.

Forgive the sweat-encrusted nylon stockings

and menstrual blotted panties.

Help us rinse and wrench the blood from injuries.

Look upon the proof of our work with gladness:

the sole ink streak

and paint goop or clay blobs on smocks,

oil and yolk caked on aprons,

mud-splotched pants,

denim dyed green from grass

and the everlasting black engine grease on rags.

Bless the motherhood marks

of lactation specks, the foamy baby spit on bibs

as white as diapers.

Bless our old sweaters and wool socks beading

like bubbles against flower stems in a clear vase.

Bless the worn-out cotton of blankets and linens

thinning like our bones year after year.

Be with us when we cling to the garments of our dead

and their professional and personal uniforms:

their coats, trousers, dresses, neckties,

scarves, jackets, pajamas, and nightgowns

whose delicate scent, whose irreplaceable perfume

loom in their threads.

Come with your lemon soap

and witch hazel-scented wings and cleanse us,

renew us like rain pouring into the sea.

Let your touch soak our skin,

so that we may, in turn, bless all we touch.

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Maria Koors (she/her) is a poet based in Birmingham, Alabama. Her poetry has recently appeared in Pensive: A Global Journal of Spirituality & the Arts and Whale Road Review. She has received support from Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. She thinks you're amazing.