Xxxii. 

I’d rather have the right things
Than all the things there are, 
Since in the pile I’d never find
What I was looking for. 

context.

q.

This is from a four page document of, to date, 33 pithy poems. Many are even shorter than this.

I only have a provisional definition of a maxim — “maxims” is what I call this ongoing document of pith — which is: a maxim is a short, complete, useful thought.

They don’t have to be in rhyme and meter though some of them are. Others are overtly businesslike—extremely unpoetic but still useful and complete. 

I really keep the document for myself primarily… I prefer to send you more than two lines of poetry when I write, so only some of these maxims will likely ever make it off my desk.

I thought of this one when I was cleaning my cluttered kitchen. 

I was having trouble finding space for some pots. I cleared out a drawer for them, and there, squished into the bottom, were two placemats that I had thought lost. I had been prevented from seeing them by a pile of things I didn’t need or want. 

a.

It’s better to have a restrained number of objects. I have too many for my small apartment. I probably spend more time looking for my stuff than I spend using it. 

scansion.

Beats: 3343

Rhymes: slant abab