Things and stuff, and stuff and things
Filling up our homes,
Boxes full of God knows what
Stored above, below

Children’s toys that once made noise
Clothes from christenings,
Even though our kids are grown
And say, “Uninteresting”

Books and more books shoved away
Stacked up and stacked upon,
Some we’d marked to read one day
But now our interest’s gone

Nick-nacks and backpacks and old picture frames
Sticking out hither and yon,
Corners of closets and corners of rooms
That haven’t been reached in eons

Why do we do it, why must we play
This game of surpassing the Joneses,
While emptying our wallets and filling our lives
With the acquisition of excess

Does it help us avoid, or fill in a void
Where something we fear has gone missing,
‘Cause it can’t really work if we’re back at the mall
The next week in search of more “blessing”

‘Twas a wise sage, who said this of old age:
“You just can’t take everything with you,”
Yet here we remain, while our houses may gain,
With our souls and bills long overdue.

~ Leana Delle
Sunday, June 23, 2019
2019 Sunday Poetry Challenge – Number twenty-four of fifty-two
Photo Credit: Luca Laurence