I was cleaning out my dresser today

And this is an odd thing to say

I tossed my collection – the whole thing

I was in a getting rid of stuff mood

And it’s not what you think

Thick-papered slivers, cardboard cards

Multicolored with stickers

With big blocky letters of print

And some smaller letters that would make you squint

I hold on to them after they’re cut lose

They remind me of their once purchased attachments, new and cute

The square clippings make me believe I’m winning

When I see the yellow stickers and percentage signs

Like the money saved and the clothing bought is mine

But as my dresser and closet fills

Over the years, collecting these little tags loses its thrill

Because like my dresser, I saw a dumpster today

All kinds of clothing was being thrown away

There were no tags

I’m sure they’d been clipped long ago

What happened to the owner, I think I know

Shopping sprees and collecting

Are mere meaningless revelries

So I now chuck the tags

Wear the clothes I have

And what I don’t goes into a bag

But I save one square blue flap with white letters

From a t-shirt – it says RUN HAPPY

This morning I donned the shirt, and did gladly

And at night that free tag holds my spot in a book

There’s no clearance sticker on that tag

But like a tag cut lose from a piece of clothing

I go on knowing

Dressers and dumpsters, too many clothes are splinters

So I chuck all the tags

I am a winner