A Poem: Ode to a Cloth Diaper

Okay, who can resist a good writing contest. Especially one that involves winning cloth diapers. Which has become sort of a sub-goal in my life. So… disclosure up front – this entry is rising to meet the challenge of Cotton Babies Free Cloth Diaper Week Finale. You can find great cloth diapering products at their website CottonBabies.com!

One suggestion tossed into the melee was to write a poem… now THAT sounded interesting. I have written a poem about breastfeeding. Why not about cloth diapers? I look to Pablo Neruda for inspiration, as he wrote beautiful poems to “Common Things.” I set out intending to be light-hearted and funny, but as with most of my writing, my diaper doggerel quickly turned pensive and ended up with a more serious slant. Here’s my version a la Neruda (and happy cloth diapering!):

Ode to a Cloth Diaper

Oh, diaper,
Made of simple
Cotton
puffed soft by air and sun…

Two hands must have picked you,

Two hands must have spun you,

Two hands must have woven you,
layer
upon
layer
into soft white hills.

Then cloth you became…
Like a new mother,
Awakened to a new purpose
To hold a sweet babe
In your gentle arms.

And like a mother
Carefully places kisses,
So are your careful stitches
Holding tight
That which we love
The most.

You are a cloth diaper,
Made of humble stuff
yet I find
simple beauty,
in wrapping my hopes,
my heart,
my Cotton Babies
in your cloth hug.