Wardrobe

I hadn't washed my clothes since New Year’s Day.
That was a week ago.
I moved to the Hilton last night,
and the first thing I wanted to do was to wash my clothes.
So I asked at the front desk,
and they told me, Second floor across from 204.
Poor bastard in 204, I thought, hope he's not an insomniac.
She said, You need quarters.
I asked, How many?
She said, Well, two dollars to wash and two dollars to dry.
And what about the soap? I asked.
This is the Hilton. Will you give me soap?
Soap is two dollars, too, and there is a machine that takes
quarters up there.
OK, then here's ten dollars.
Can I have six dollars in quarters?
Certainly, she said.
I stuffed all my clothes into a pillow case,
and took it up the elevator and did it.
When it was all over, I felt good and crisp
like I had washed and dried myself.




copyright 2009 poetography