The Dirigible Balloon
Poetry for Children

Laundry Blues

I tried to help my family
By washing all the clothes,
I figured out which ones to clean
By trusting in my nose.

It didn’t go quite as I’d planned,
It didn’t go quite right,
‘Cus all the clothes that I put in
Well, started off plain white.

My sister’s shirts, her uniform,
Came out a blazing red.
My brother’s bear, he went in too,
He’s now a ruby Ted.

Dad’s Kildare top, his ‘lily white’
Looks much more like a poppy.
Grandad’s best tie is looking great!
(I hope he likes it spotty.)

But overall, it went quite well,
At least it didn’t shrink.
Except my Mom’s, she’s going to boil,
Her wedding dress is pink!

Of course, they’ll know I tried my best,
Just tried to lend a hand.
It’s not all bad, some things look fine,
My red socks came out grand.

About the Writer


Sinéad Callanan

Sinéad is a poet and teacher from Limerick, Ireland. Her work has appeared in Tyger Tyger, Northern Gravy, Paper Lanterns and more. She likes cats, birthdays, and lemon meringue pie.