Do not wet this garment.
But if you insist,
Use water between 35 and 37 degrees Celsius.
Approximately.
Test with your elbow.
Perhaps you had better just wave the dress above the water.
You still want to wet it?
Fine.
You may hand-wash, but be careful.
For best results, use soap made from the milk of goats
That have roamed the slopes of the Himalayas.
In a pinch, other soap will do.
Do not wring.
Pat gently with a lint-free cloth,
Apologising profusely.
Lay flat in shade, preferably on deck chair with a nice drink.
I meant the dress, of course.
But … maybe you, too.


© by Belinda Veldman.
Used with the author’s permission.