"Folding clothes, I think of folding you into my life."
The poem "Sorting Laundry" by Elisavietta Ritchie is an extended metaphor. The metaphor begins in the first stanza (the quote above). After that point, most aspects of laundry that are described can be compared to their relationship. For example, the speaker refuses to "bleach into respectability. The speaker wants their love to be true passion, not just respect for each other. The speaker wants their relationship to remain vibrant and not bleach into a friendship. Also, the "wrinkles to be smoothed, or else ignored" compare to the rifts in the relationship that will be smoothed out between the two of them or forgotten over time. The speaker wants everything to be smooth between her and her partner. The shrunken clothes that are "tough to discard even for Goodwill" compare to the memories that the speaker cannot let go of. The clothes are a sign of where they have been together. In the end, the speaker says that even "a mountain of unsorted wash" cannot replace her lover. I think that this line finishes off the metaphor (and the poem, obviously). The extended metaphor is effective because it gives readers a comparison of how the speaker sees her love. It also gives a picture of the speaker's character and role.
No comments:
Post a Comment