Keep/Give Away/Not Sure: A decluttering ritual

I wrote this today-thinking that many parents and couples are probably going through this after the holidays---this is for them.

KEEP /GIVE AWAY/ NOT SURE
A Decluttering Ritual

This new year ritual spans
More than one sunny-rainy-gray
than sunny, bright again afternoon to
Sort through receipts
count the money we wish we had
And mourn the reserve we shouldn’t have spent

Days past the epiphany
We wrestle with
What to keep, give away,
Which to donate
Which to sell

There in the middle of the room
stands the green plastic box labeled NOT SURE

Along with
The hook and eye
of an old pair of favorite
unflattering khaki pants that
Hang on like a bare thread
The steardy storage container holds
recycled arguments between us
Spilling, unraveling out
Words-NOT SURE- are taped on and written in black ink
Can it be repaired?….

De-cluttering demands brutal honesty…
My karmic cleaning partner for life says-
What's the worst thing that would happen if you got rid of it?
Is it beautiful, useful, or loved?

My back responds first in silence,
Tears come after
I turn
He moves to meet me
His forehead rests on mine
We return to this frustrating place
ugh-again, again, again-
but until we finally accept the lesson

To each other this ritual of recycling must be re-found to be
Beautiful, useful, and (re)loved.