WHERE HUMANS GO

shit
follows.
apparently it is genetic
this need to cast off garbage. here the desert
is scattered with

plastic
stretched across thin dark limbs of creosote
beer cans and bottles (of course) randomly scattered
discarded sofas and washing machines
splintered plywood
fast food containers

etcetera.

this I write for earth day. thirty years ago
as a hippie I marched on the first march

for the earth.

we marched to the community college
and the police followed us. the newspaper people
followed us and wrote stories
about earth-friendly hippies

smoking pot.

no doubt
those newspapers are well-preserved
fifty feet below the surface

in a landfill.

we humans
we think we know everything
with our fake cold fusion
and tonka toy rovers on mars

breaking down
no longer sending radio signals.

the urge to spread our discarded inventions
to the far reaches of the solar system
remains intense. if aliens
ever arrive

a billion years down the road

they will surmise
our legacy
our accomplishment
our proud burden

is garbage.

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