Sweeping Truck

A sweeping truck came down my street today; its brooms and brushes whirling on the ground. Wetting the pavement and making thin mud. Gathering stones, dirt, lost buttons and leaves. Up and down the street blocks and along the roads. Gathering sand from the winter and from people who litter. And every mile or two it will empty its bin, then whirl back to life and continue again. A squat little truck with a person inside. Driving real slow and pirouetting around cars. I saw it stop at a hydrant while the man got out, to lock on a hose so that the sprayer filled up. Who created these things that comes 'round once a year? Broom Bear and Elgin. Mobil and Johnson. Their genius at making parts all work together so the street can look nicer and neighbors feel better.