Plastic Bag : Illusions of Grandeur
PLASTIC BAG - ILLUSIONS OF GRANDEUR
Humdrum, meaningless existence :
Was wrapping apples in the supermarket:
The guys said it couldn’t be done.
But with warm air and wind there’s freedom
The sky’s the limit : poor boy makes good.
Left the ‘hood, and now riding high
Up in the blue like the soaring crows and seagulls,
Those golden boys.
Me ?! Just a plastic bag? No way!
They said you’re nobody, man -
Just another plastic bag, like every one of us.
You’ll never amount to anything.
So now look at me you guys
Oh, I’m a kite, a bird, even a plane.
The city looks so small from up here.
How come everyone doesn’t make the break?
Carpe diem. Take control of your destiny, man.
Oh, oh, no! Descent beyond control !
Hey ! No. . . wow, a rising current. . . whew. . .
Oh-oh! No, no. . . . down. . . crashing silently into
A dog-crapped mud puddle -
Not with a bang, but a whimper* -
And quickly walked over by kids at will
Turned into a dirty plastic crumple,
Useless and destined for burial in a landfill.
And all the other crappy bags hissing in the wind,
With the voices singing in my ears saying that this was all folly **
We told you so.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Notes
One windy day we saw a plastic bag blown high up over the cityscape, and tumble to the ground after a brief flight. It made me think.
* from THE HOLLOW MEN T S Eliot
** from JOURNEY OF THE MAGI T S Eliot
Copyright © Sidney Beck | Year Posted 2011
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