Inside-Out

Posted on May 2, 2022 by The Living Hand Staff

When I was a kid, I thought it was weird to wash clothes right-side-out.

Why would you wash the side of the cloth that doesn’t touch your body?

I thought it made much more sense to wash clothes inside-out,

So that the clean side of the socks would be the side touching your toes.

As I grew older, I realized, that washing your clothes was not all about

Hygiene.

We smile proudly, parading in front of society in our

Clean clothes.

Our sweaters look pristine externally as we fight the scratchy wool and

Pokey tags internally.

We spend precious time shopping, cleaning, matching, accessorizing, and

Ironing out the wrinkles.

We squeeze into clothes that are too small, something we

Refuse to admit to ourselves.

We disguise our bodies, faces, hair in pretty cloth and mystery chemicals

Before we dare leave the house.

We abandon all rationality and

Paint ourselves purple purely for others’ benefit.

Our clothes,

Our standards are inside-out.