I picked some up today,

Not mine, I was taught not to litter.

Aluminum cans, plastic and glass,
I wonder about those responsible.

Illegal drinkers, lazy young men,
Ignorant about where their trash resides.

Cigarette packs, vodka bottles, take-out sacks,
I imagine all flung from moving vehicles.

I picked some up today,
Two bags full, until the weight was too much.

Where do litterers think their trash goes?
Farm fields, woods, and walking paths?

Surely they don’t think at all,
It goes nowhere until someone cares. Or does it?

Those giant garbage patches called gyres,
Swirling in our oceans, how did they get there?

Maybe it all starts as roadside trash,
With those care-less litterers tossing it mindlessly out the window.

But am I really different?
Smugly placing two heavy bags in a tidy bin at home?

It’ll be gone on Thursday.
Roadside trash, I picked some up today.