Gustave Caillebotte, Laundry Drying, Petit Gennevilliers (1892),
oil on canvas, 106 x 151 cm, Wallraf-Richartz-Museum. WikiArt..png
Madeleine’s Reverie
by Priscilla Turner Spada
Sheets and pillowcases, tablecloths–
oh, there’s so much washing; it’s my job.
They like their linens aired out every day;
I beat the feather pillows and duvets.
The cloths are flapping, snapping, in the breeze.
See how the wind is lifting them like sails.
I hope the pins hold tight in these brusque gales.
I gaze across the meadow toward the trees
and fill my lungs with crisp, refreshing air.
The sun is shining down on Chez Villiers.
I wonder if Antoine is over there
tending to the Villiers’ feisty mare.
I’ll meet him later at the cabaret.
He’s so handsome … and he always pays.
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