Closing Thoughts

June 2021

  

‘Keep Britain Tidy’:

An earnest campaign launched by

Women’s Institute. 

Maybe this is why

We consistently take it

With a pinch of salt?

Just why is it that

An empty crisp packet weighs

So heavy in hand?

I am positive

It doesn’t start out this way;

Packaging matters. 

We are drawn in by

The lure of glinting flow wrap

As much as its meat. 

It pains to admit

I am not exempt from this:

I’m a culprit too. 

In fact, I struggle

To think of something I’d fail

To pick up and drop.

I consume with wild

And cack-handed abandon…

… then I abandon. 

Box sets, snacks, projects, 

Conquests: mere fleeting interests 

Crammed, chewed and spat clean.

As I proceed to

Crush another can of Sprite, 

I gain clarity.

My junk fixation

Is guilt manifest: a vain

Act of contrition.

Of course I’m compelled

To regard the discarded

And disregarded. 

As self-appointed

Vessel for empty vessels,

I’m filling my cup.

I, Litter Ally, 

Must excavate lost treasures,

For I buried them.