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- It has a place in all our hearts.
- Dust If You Must
- Why we like it:
- The vacuum cleaner tuner
- Why we like this poem:
- Cleaning an Attic
- Messy Room
- A Psalm of Life
- Feeling inspired by these cleaning poems but need an extra nudge? Try these out:
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.
It has a place in all our hearts.
So we thought we’d find poems that will inspire you to have a clutter-free 2018...
Dust If You Must
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.
Why we like it:
OK, well, it’s 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 you’ll be done. Also, the sooner you’re 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...
The vacuum cleaner tuner
By Heather Wastie
I’m a vacuum-cleaner tuner,
a very important man,
and I’ve been tuning hoovers
since records first began.
I fiddle with your motor
with one ear to the ground
and listen to your carpet
till the perfect key is found.
Experience has taught me
that Axminsters in blue
are fond of Bflat minor
and, strictly entre nous,
a persian rug is partial
to any major key
and if your mat is looking flat
try vacuuming in C.
(You’ll find it makes a difference
to furniture as well -
a sofa cleaned discordantly
Exudes an awful smell.)
Now Vacuum-cleaner tuning
is not a common art,
so tell your friends and neighbours
what pleasures I impart
and how I make your humble home
a more harmonious place,
where hoovering a carpet
brings a smile to every face.
And when I’m rich and famous,
I’ll hire the Albert Hall
and give a free recital
on hoovers big and small
to show their versatility
and demonstrate my trade
with sweet melodious vacuuming
serenely underlaid.
Find more Heather Wastie here.
Why we like this Poem:
Well it’s just a lot of fun, isn’t it? We love rhyming poetry and this one’s a corker. Before reading this would you have thought it possible to be whimsical about a vacuum cleaner?
Cleaning an Attic
By Brent Pallas
The day had finally come
When everything there
Seemed misplaced or out of place
As an ex’s box of things. The unused
Beside the irreplaceable, the easy-
To-assemble uncomplicated now
By disuse. Some hand
Of randomness leaving behind
Its lampshades stained
Like ancient maps, its ladders
Still climbing upward, and enough
Old tools to restart a world.
Every drawer filled
With the other half of things.
Everything care embraced,
And held once as new,
Left too ragged for another winter
To wear. It’s ring of keys
Dangling by a nail
For rooms left long ago. And whatever
I said I’d never forget
Found, just as it seemed
Completely forgot - all it’s letters
Beginning with Dear….
Find Brent Pallas' original poems here.
Why we like this Poem:
We love the way the poem is almost ‘messily written’. Lines end in the middle of sentences. The fragmented feel of it matches what the poet’s 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 you’ve forgotten causing you to reminisce. In fact, we love finding old memories so much, that we think it’s as good a reason as any to start your clear out.
Messy Room
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
Why we like it:
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.
A Psalm of Life
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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 world’s broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!
Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,—act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o’erhead!
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;—
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o’er life’s 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.
Why we like this poem:
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 we’ve 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, you’re both more likely to finish rather than abandon the project. Grab your friends and have a declutter tea party - you’ll be done before you know it. At the end of the day, there aren’t many people who enjoy cleaning and decluttering. The most important thing is that you keep in mind how you’ll feel when you’re 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 :)
Feeling inspired by these cleaning poems but need an extra nudge? Try these out:
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