Betsy Robin Schwartz

we are drowning in our own garbage

choked to the gullet with crap

swimming in sewage

oceans of oil and offal

rivers of crude refuse

ashes of incineration

filling wildlands and lungs

toxins replacing plasma

carcinogens our sustenance

we are worshipping our garbage

renaming rubbish classic, antique, collectible

venerating muck

valuing what was once disposable

raising prices at auction

embracing what was tired and familiar

wallowing in comfy hogwash

learning to sift and separate

legacies of litter

the Inuit have hundreds of words for frozen water

we have the same regard for trash

we learn to sort and preserve

love the purity of earth and self

build a future on moments

once wasteful