In times past the poor gleaned the fields;
finding a few leftovers of what nature yields.
Before they were plowed under and the food laid to waste;
The less fortunate were given a chance of the veggies to taste.
My how far we have gone in societies eyes;
A family poking in the trash for a few stale fries.
A slice of the pizza that was kindly left behind;
Whew! What a delight dear, a gourmets find.
Gleaning the garbage is this the new plan?
Another family diving into a big green can.
Little Joey just got a new pair of shoes;
Thank God! they threw away the size twos.
Little Mary got some sandals, Oh glory be;
Thank God! they threw away some size three.
Sometime we would pick coal that fell from the truck;
Them bumpy old roads would bring us some luck.
Collect the soda bottles for a nickel reward;
To buy a candy bar or a red licorice cord.
The times were tough and the streets were mean;
But we never jumped into the garbage to glean.
Pitiful or resourceful depends on your point of view;
I guess for survival we would glean garbage too.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem