primark cream jumper

The jumper I am wearing

“I have washed it only twice, by hand, in the sink.
Washing it too much means I lose the softness,
Lose the rigidness.

It is Primark, scratchy yet soft.
It was Kirsty’s jumper, which gives it a certain softness,
one I cannot fathom.

We lived together, and shared our wardrobes.
At one point, this jumper did not make the cut.
Now I wear it when I draw, and when I paint.
It is stained from the gouache, the ink.

Over time, the shape has conformed to me,

and the neck sits just right.
In places it is bobbly, and scruffy.

I don’t mind, as it doesn’t need to look nice.
I have washed it only twice, by hand, in the sink.

I want it to stay soft.”

Jean Oberlander