THE HOARDERS

THE HOARDERS

 

In a cupboard up the attic

In a nook below the bed

Lived the hoarders

They were from a planet Stack Shack

And had antennae's like bulbs

That protruded out from a box

Unwanted and flung out

So looked like a box

Their faces

And bodies boxes as well

Only had hands and legs

So supple

Could lift things

That amused and surprised

Stirred even those hidden

In thoughts and memories

Way back yester years and decades

Inside their full boxes

 

They had a shoe just one

With a tongue lolling out

Where they put many other things

An old ink pot, a tooth brush

Few pennies and pens

A glove, handmade puppet

And an egg cup holder

A darling flute, harpsichord

A ticking alarm clock and even a jug

With a cracked lid

All in the house wondered

Where things strangely disappeared

It were Boxes called hoarders

With antennae like bulbs

Looking happily at their precious possessions

Seeing if they could keep

Along with them some skeletons too

Maybe a dagger and a scythe

An ancient gardening tool

Like an old shovel

Some portraits painted by the owner Simon

He just kept locked away in his trunk

Just the other day had opened

His solemn painting

Now had disappeared

For the Box hoarders knew the value

 Simon thought they were only white elephants

Gathering termites and dust

And the wallflower Dame Priscilla

 Looking unhappily through shelves

Baking soda, sugar, salts, flour and eggs

She was his dreary wife

Just sat by the cinders

Baking apple pies

Once in a while the alien invaders cart loaded 

Into their boxes with bulb propellers

Light and tasty wedges

For their tiny family boxes

Curious box children 

Of Stack Shack ten

They'd never tasted anything so perfectly delicious

Twainly agreed that Simon's wife Priscilla

Was more than just a wilting wallflower

Hence stole her precious diamond ring

And kept Father Box Hoarder right on top of his Lions mane

For these unusual aliens

Had orangey flaming red hair

That stood out like a lion's mane

Proudly it shone day and night

They truly appreciated the owner's wife

 

"I'm sorry" said they contritely

The box hoarders in heart of hearts

Making wrong right 

By putting a precious ring of Cat's eye

From planet Stack Shack

It would be livelier than the one they stole

But she searched frantically her diamond ring

Just instead saw star dust and moon shine inside her tarnished wooden cabinet

Along with it a precious cat's eye ring

Little did she know what the night time raiders

That awoke in the dead of night

Called Box Hoarders collected

Making them Kings and Queens

With precious trinkets and bric-a-bracs

And so many curious treasures

Whether worthwhile or only for pleasure

The collectors collected 

That slid through memory lane

Even Grandpa Jeremy's rosy lorgnettes

Grandma Jenny's slick carving knife

Their daughter's glossy nursery book with rhymes  

Three Blind Mice 

And son's racing jeep with horn trumpets

All new found possessions

For Boxy hoarders to keep

 

They even had a medicine box

With things like plasters, tourniquets

Ointments, thermometers and old gauzes

Kept they in their boxes

Attending to their owners so patiently

Those memories which hurt and 

Brought sadness

Thumbs up I say to box hoarders

We may lose something precious

But gain something nice

In the process

We have our boxers

And feelers just like their bulbs

From planet Stack Shack 

Where one day the box hoarders

Did eventually return

In their box rockets

With gift wrappers they'd done

And made it look like a spiffy parcel with bows and ribbons

For their alien friends

Zooming zipped way ahead

All the centuries and decades

Hoping we like them

Forget our boxes of boredom and misery!

Turn into box creatures 

Called Lively Box Hoarders

With our spiffy bulb antennae's!