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Poetry has long been a source of inspiration. It evokes emotions in us. Popular opinion suggests poems are all about the way the words sound and feel when you read them. Language is fascinating if you like that sort of thing, and poetry reflects that acutely. How the coupling of a few different words can make interesting sounds and rhymes when we read them in the silence of our minds. You recite it to your betrothed to tell them how much you love them. Tell it to your children to inspire them to greatness - and teach moral tales.Â
So we thought weâd find poems that will inspire you to have a clutter-free 2018...
by Rose Milligan
Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better
To paint a picture, or write a letter,
Bake a cake, or plant a seed;
Ponder the difference between want and need?
Dust if you must, but there's not much time,
With rivers to swim, and mountains to climb;
Music to hear, books to read;
Friends to cherish, and life to lead.
Dust if you must, but the world's out there
With the sun in your eyes, and the wind in your hair;
A flutter of snow, a shower of rain,
This day will not come around again.
Dust if you must, but bear in mind,
Old age will come and it's not kind.
And when you go (and go you must)
You, yourself, will make more dust.
OK, well, itâs not exactly promoting a clean and clutter-free way of life. Quite the opposite. The poem invites you to think about all the things that are more important than dusting, because, well, life is short. Instead of throwing away your duster and skipping off into the sunset, think of it this way: The less you put it off, the sooner youâll be done. Also, the sooner youâre done, the sooner you can get on with the more important things in life. Plus, the less stuff you have, the easier and faster it will be to dust...
By Heather Wastie
Iâm a vacuum-cleaner tuner,
a very important man,
and Iâve been tuning hoovers
since records first began.
I fiddle with your motor
with one ear to the ground
and listen to your carpetÂ
till the perfect key is found.
Experience has taught meÂ
that Axminsters in blueÂ
are fond of Bflat minorÂ
and, strictly entre nous,Â
a persian rug is partial
to any major key
and if your mat is looking flat
try vacuuming in C.
(Youâll find it makes a differenceÂ
to furniture as well -Â
a sofa cleaned discordantly
Exudes an awful smell.)
Now Vacuum-cleaner tuningÂ
is not a common art,Â
so tell your friends and neighbours
what pleasures I impart
and how I make your humble home
a more harmonious place,Â
where hoovering a carpet
brings a smile to every face.
And when Iâm rich and famous,Â
Iâll hire the Albert HallÂ
and give a free recitalÂ
on hoovers big and small
to show their versatility
and demonstrate my trade
with sweet melodious vacuuming
serenely underlaid.
Find more Heather Wastie here.
Well itâs just a lot of fun, isnât it? We love rhyming poetry and this oneâs a corker. Before reading this would you have thought it possible to be whimsical about a vacuum cleaner?
By Brent Pallas
The day had finally come
When everything there
Seemed misplaced or out of place
As an exâs box of things. The unused
Beside the irreplaceable, the easy-
To-assemble uncomplicated now
By disuse. Some handÂ
Of randomness leaving behind
Its lampshades stainedÂ
Like ancient maps, its ladders
Still climbing upward, and enoughÂ
Old tools to restart a world.
Every drawer filled
With the other half of things.
Everything care embraced,Â
And held once as new,Â
Left too ragged for another winter
To wear. Itâs ring of keys
Dangling by a nail
For rooms left long ago. And whateverÂ
I said Iâd never forgetÂ
Found, just as it seemed
Completely forgot - all itâs lettersÂ
Beginning with DearâŠ.
Find Brent Pallas' original poems here.
We love the way the poem is almost âmessily writtenâ. Lines end in the middle of sentences. The fragmented feel of it matches what the poetâs saying about his messy loft with things out of place. The other reason we love it is because it perfectly captures the sentimental aspects of having a clearout. So many times you find things youâve forgotten causing you to reminisce. In fact, we love finding old memories so much, that we think itâs as good a reason as any to start your clear out.
by Shel Silverstein
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
His underwear is hanging on the lamp.
His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,
And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.
His workbook is wedged in the window,
His sweater's been thrown on the floor.
His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,
And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.
His books are all jammed in the closet,
His vest has been left in the hall.
A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,
And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
Donald or Robert or Willie or--
Huh? You say it's mine? Oh, dear,
I knew it looked familiar!
Find more Shel Silverstein here
Fun rhyming poems are always good! But this one reminds us of every kids' room ever! They are so tough to keep tidy. We think this poem should be shared with children all over the world in a bid to get them to tidy their rooms. Share it with the messy children in your life, then start your decluttering project together.
By Henry Wadsworth LongfellowÂ
Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.
Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each tomorrow
Find us farther than today.
Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.
In the worldâs broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!
Trust no Future, howeâer pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,âact in the living Present!
Heart within, and God oâerhead!
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;â
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing oâer lifeâs solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.
Find more classic poetry here.
The poem reminds us all that we should do and aspire to great things, no matter how insignificant they seem. Also, the poem also acts as a reminder that our actions have the power to inspire others. We thought this was perfect for a declutter inspiration round-up. Every time weâve done research to find out how to motivate people to declutter, company is always the number one reason. If a friend, neighbour or family member is also going through their own decluttering project at the same time as you, youâre both more likely to finish rather than abandon the project. Grab your friends and have a declutter tea party - youâll be done before you know it. At the end of the day, there arenât many people who enjoy cleaning and decluttering. The most important thing is that you keep in mind how youâll feel when youâre done.  We hope these poems have inspired you to keep your clutter in check this year. Want to share your own cleaning and decluttering poems? Let us know in the comments and we might feature yours on the site :)
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