Pack Rat Paradise

Clutter was his god
no closet space enough
to hold the treasures he worshipped
or oddities he cherished,
every day he brought home
some new gems to add to his collection.

When all the other spaces
where jammed beyond capacity
he honed his sights
upon the kitchen pantry.

His wife had coped
with his other hording obsessions,
but when he violated
her sacred dry goods chamber
she raged and raved
with one volatile deed
cleansed those intended shelves
of his invading impulse trophies.

Undeterred by her act
at night he stuffed again,
which fueled a greater angst
the next morn.

Finally coming to a solution
for saving her cherished storage
by making it home to Rover's dog food
who she had sent to obedience school
having them train him for just a situation.

Husband sulking, wife euphoric,
and pooch now in heaven
thinking it was just to be a place to feast on Alpo
tolerating presence of cake mix and cereal.