The Things We Keep

Last night I had the pleasure to speak to a large group at "St Stephans" Anglican Church here in Christchurch. These were the ladies of AWA (Anglican Womens Association). They had invited the men folk to the evening in the hopes I would shed some light on Organising some of those "Man Caves". They were a wonderful, fun and interactive group and I really enjoyed the presentation.
One thing that really stood out for me though was the introduction. One of the ladies had found a poem and it was read before I spoke, I loved it so wanted to share:

The Things We Keep by Audrey Denning

Tucked away in a dusty cupboard,
Look at all the scores of things we hoard:
Pieces of pencil, bits of string,
Gracious, whatever is that thing?
Electric switches, scraps of wire,
A stick or two for lighting a fire.
Masses of paper, magazines too,
We'll never have time to read all through.
Balls of wool, some knitting half done,
A crumpled certificate one of us won.
Boxes of cardboard, boxes of tin,
Once were used for keeping things in.
Now what did we keep that old brush for?
It's hardly fit for scrubbing the floor
Right at the back there is a can of old paint,
Whatever it was, it truly now ain't!
What's this? A Firebrick? What a find,
In the middle of summer that's quiet well timed!
A pile of nails, some pincers too,
Needed for the odd jobs we don't do.
A left-handed glove, the head of a rake,
Why were they kept for Heavens Sake?
Masses of rubbish, full to the doors,
This was my cupboard - Now turn out yours!

Thanks you for sharing such a fun, visual and real poem. It made me laugh and reminded me of many a cupboard I have helped some people sort through.