Dirty Tea Towels Poem by Sue Oaks

I’ve got some dirty tea-towels
That I put in the wash to soak
I only use them to wipe a few dishes
Then back in the tub they go

But I can’t get the stains out
No matter how hard I try
I can soak them forever
I can rub them with SARD

I can brush them with bristles
Stiff and pointed to the touch

They are the stains of your old life
The remnants of your marriage
The reminders that you had a life apart from me
Not too long ago

They soak and soak and soak
But the stains won’t go away
Maybe one day
The stains won’t bother me

Maybe one day
We’ll have enough dirty tea-towels of our own.