Created so many minor-seeming epicycles
Of maintenance, things needing tending,
Things needing attention as to when to tend them,
E.g., the numerous bear-proof waste bins in addition
To the recycling dumpsters and trash collections,
Also the open-pit outhouses placed strategically
Near trailheads and near but not too near the beaches.
If it’s not quite fair to say that life began in waste,
It’s only because waste began in and along with
Life. The simplest metabolism depends
On making waste to prime the pump, reduce
The local entropy, define the acts of maintenance
That define a living system. Efficiencies are fine.
The organisms that reuse their own or others’
Otherwise useless leftovers most often thrive,
Although severe efficiencies are costly and,
Therefore, creators of fresh forms of energy waste,
While the creation of and separation from waste
Is one of the great gifts, if not the great gift of life.
A wasteful human thought this, walking past
The neatly maintained, shady gravel parking lot
With its picnic tables, trailheads, access to the shore,
Tidy outhouse (hand sanitizer and toilet tissue
Provided), and regularly emptied, bear-proof
Waste bin. Around the base of the bin, also neatly
Arranged, stood a colorful variety of dead soldiers,
Beer cans, pop cans, and bottles that had been placed
By people too indifferent to carry them to the nearest
Recycling bins, but who didn’t want to waste them.
No comments:
Post a Comment