Clutter
May 24 2024
I am at home in clutter.
Tchotchkes,
collectors of dust,
the stuff I dropped
and failed to pick-up.
Because why trouble myself
when I know exactly
where I left it?
Nor am I bothered
by a cluttered mind,
bursting with facts
trivia
plans;
with memories
I can’t recollect,
feelings
I don’t understand.
Perhaps, if I sought more clarity
I’d be better off.
If I sat
cross-legged
in a sparsely furnished room
in pin-drop quiet.
If the walls were white
blinds drawn
lights nicely dimmed.
Could minimalism
be a better choice
than hodgepodge gallimaufry?
Trouble is
I am comfortable with clutter
and prefer it here
in a place I call my own
that’s rumpled
lived-in
homey.
And after all
why neaten up
when it’s been so long
since I even noticed?
Nor am I bothered
by the racing thoughts
that ricochet off my skull.
An overheated cortex
that threatens to overflow.
The monkey chatter
that goes on and on
no matter what.
Questioning
answering
and wondering why.
Talking to myself
nonstop;
even out loud, sometimes.
My poetry is rarely autobiographical. The cluttered surroundings certainly are not. (I prefer order!) I suppose it should be more personal, confessional, authentically intimate. Most poetry is. Contemporary poetry, anyway.
However, the cluttered mind and monkey chatter are absolutely me! Even the talking out loud. But only when I’m alone, I hasten to add.
The white-walled room is a bit of a pet peeve. Because I’ve noticed how all the interiors in the real estate listings and house beautiful spreads are invariably this cold sterile white. Which I quite dislike. The clean spare look is fine if you want to create an impression of order and roominess for a prospective buyer. But it’s not any place I’d like to actually live. I prefer warm woods and earth-tones. I suspect that future decorators will look back on this fad just as we look aghast at the turquoise walls and deep shag rugs of the 1960s. I doubt it’s a look that will age well.
(Coincidentally, in editing this poem, the following article appeared in the weekend Globe. These are exactly the sort of interiors I prefer.
The Globe and Mail (Ontario Edition)
May 25, 2024
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