Clean Start

My sheets need serious cleaning.
Stained with deception,

a dry, coarse substance like gravel
flakes with fingernail picking.

A slender old man washes his trousers,
socks and underwear together. No

color coordination or fabric softener. Just
the roughness like coveralls or dried coral.

I threw my sheets in the industrial washer;
More room for detergent and warm, clean water.

Outside the laundromat, two girls smoked cloves,
but weren’t very talkative.

Everyday was dirty to them.