Ode to the White T-shirts

I remember the day you arrived,
Soft and gleaming white, unmarred by spaghetti or chocolate sauce.
The perfect casual compliment to jeans or shorts:
Light and airy in the humid Oklahoma summer,
Or layered with a sweater against the bitter winter cold,
Bringing countless hours of wearing enjoyment.

I remember the day you were relegated to "home only" status,
Your once pristine fabric now marred by stains and rents in the knit.
Oh, how I mourned my inability to find a deserving replacement.
And oh, how I cursed my lack of foresight in not buying 20 replicas,
When your perfection first became apparent.
Yet still I had you, and rejoiced in the comfort you provided.

But now, today, the memories become all that is left.
Two white t-shirts, originally joined together in purchase,
Now forever united in their day of death.
The tiny holes merging into large, the seams disintegrating,
Can no longer be ignored. You will not survive another wash.
So I say good-bye, with gratitude for your years of selfless service.