do you remember back in the day

when we only had bar soap in the shower

a fresh bar was the always best

refreshingly dry and clean for that first shower

then left on a wet soap dish it soon became soggy

especially in households who shared a shower between multiple occupants

you never knew what might be lurking in that soggy soap bar

occasionally there would be some nasty grit embedded in the bar

which you only detected after almost lacerating your flesh while lathering

soggy soap was so hard to grip and would jump to the floor

it had a mind of its own and was hell bent on escaping

forcing you to rummage around the base of the shower or tub 

the bar would get dented and misshaped during its frequent spills

then back in the 70s somebody invited soap on a rope

you could wrap the rope around you wrist and never drop the bar again

hanging it up between showers to let it dry naturally

it was the most brilliant invention

no more slips in the shower picking up dropped bars

but the soap on a rope boom imploded 

when shower gels and body wash came along

these are far more hygienic and easier to use

I was thinking of gifting some friends soap on a rope

showering could bring back memories from a forgotten era

however I learned just in time before purchasing

that soap on a rope has become a popular cult gag gift

for the person whose activities are bordering on illegal

and might soon need that soap on a rope

to avoid them bending over in the prison shower to pick up lost soap