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Rhythm Of the Dryer Drums
Rhythm of the dryer drums, with funky beat,
beats out the funkiness of my sheets, I glance
around to see if anyone other than me might
have the urge to begin a song or tribal dance.
Dark brown eyes flare behind dreadlocks when
she realizes I've noticed her shuffling feet; I
nod towards the lad whose earrings clink as he
taps fingers along a folding table, and she grins.
Then another, perhaps a daughter, gets up in
her face; can't hear what's said but recognize
the expression of adolescent embarrassment; the
woman turns away, the young man's out the door.
I wonder what we might've made by sharing our
impulses: thunder of the plains with Savannah rain
lit by flashes of gothic lightning? Maybe someday
such a storm will break this city's cloud cover.
If we've nothing else, there are moments like these,
and the hopes and the dreams they nourish; and
laundry room attendants mildly grateful when the
customers leave behind only minimal messes.
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