They Say We Are (Garbage) Poem by Rae Carroll

They say we are
But is it true
Is it in me, is it in you
They throw it away
Scattered on the highway
Mounds on the street
Out of people’s mouths we meet
Does it ever leave?
It’s there today
And tomorrow again
It weighs on the trees till they start to bend
And crack, snapple, pop
All we have left are piles of rocks
No more plants
No more planet
It’s used to be
No better than pretend
Its history
That started when the trees began bend
It’s not in you, it’s not in me
It isn’t what we are
But somewhere, way off far
It’s weighing down the trees