Laundromat
By Patrick T. Reardon
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Old children
carry sacks.
They carry money.
They know how it goes.
They chew gum.
They do not protest.
They sit and stare
nowhere,
wait for the click
to signal the end
of the cycle.
Patrick T. Reardon
This poem originally appeared in RHINO, Fall, 1981
Written by : Patrick T. Reardon
For more than three decades Patrick T. Reardon was an urban affairs writer, a feature writer, a columnist, and an editor for the Chicago Tribune. In 2000 he was one of a team of 50 staff members who won a Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting. Now a freelance writer and poet, he has contributed chapters to several books and is the author of Faith Stripped to Its Essence. His website is https://patricktreardon.com/.