Stain Remover

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Stain Remover
by Shea Stanley
I can’t get the stains out
Ever
Every year a new white shirt
The armpits yellow and greased
The websites lie
Suggestions
Of baking soda and vinegar and
Oxi clean and soaking and
Washing on hot and
Bleach
And washing on cold and soaking, yet
My home is not better, nor my garden
None of it works
Ever
Every year a new stain
New mistakes for you to witness
Even on this, my favorite shirt
Especially
On this, my favorite shirt
Soiled, worsened
I have never had a shirt for this
Long
Even if I hide the stain with a jacket
You saw me spill the wine
You saw me throw a fit on I-95
Loud
You saw me break promises and plates
You saw me oversleep and underachieve
These stains make it heavy
Heavier
I want to throw the shirt away
Gone like the others
Picture it in the landfill, or
Burning
In the yard
The smoke clearing my lungs
Dreams of a nice new shirt
Crisp
No spills, no witnesses
Clean
But I don’t know how to maintain
Crisp
Not good with an iron or
Honesty
I come close
Sometimes
Match lit over the fabric
Fiery promise of starting over
But then I slide it over my head
Easy
And it’s so comfortable
Brings out the light in my eye
And it holds me
Easy
Goes well with my pants
Goes well with me
And then you have
Suggestions
You have a tide pen in the purse
We bought together, on sale
And you have
Stories
Of stains you removed
Worse ones, you think
And you help wash out the stain, or
Try
And you don’t mind the muddy water
You don’t mind if it still peeks out
Because maybe I'm stained like
Glass
The stains are the point
They look prettier in the light