In Praise Of Clutter (Poetry)

I cleared the clutter from my room
’til all the shelves were bare
then one by one began to miss
those things no longer there —

the nick-nacks and the souvenirs
the books I’d meant to read
odds and ends I’d saved for years
yet never seemed to need.

They’d sat there quietly collecting dust
and taking up more space
until I caught this recent bug
to tidy up the place.

I polished ’til each surface gleamed
no junk to block the shine
the room lost all identity —
too empty to be mine.

I’ve been a magpie all my life
and order’s what I lack
but home is measured in small things
hence all the clutter’s back!