The Smell of Garbage
Flies
Bird droppings
exhaust fumes
mean math teachers
scornful people
jerks
bad hair day
dead plants
grass clippings
compost pile
Things I Would Never Put in a Poem or Story-now put in a poem or a story. So much fun!
1.
I could tell what kind of day this was going to be as I drove into town, the exhaust fumes of the traffic lingering in the humid air. My hair had been perfect when I left the house, but soon reverted into its natural frizzy state as the moist air took its toll. Not only would it be my first stressful day at school, it would also be a bad hair day, which made me grumpy before I even got there.
2.
I remember with fondness
the day I was lying in the sun
on a pier at a lake resort
when suddenly a bird
sent a dropping my way.
Without missing a beat
my dad said "Bullseye"
as the droppings hit
a strategic target.
His quirky humor
has been passed on.
3.
When I was young
I had a mean math teacher
who made me feel very small
and insignificant as well as
stupid.
This inspired me to be the kind of teacher
that will never make students feel this way.
I try to be infinitely patient
when they don't understand
a concept.
Scornful people and
jerks
can help us see what not to be
and make us better people than
we might have been without them.
4.
After mowing the lawn
I happily sprinkle the
grass clippings on
top of the dead plants
in the compost pile
knowing that they will decompose
and go back into the beauty of nature.
The smell of garbage reminds me
that things are breaking down
nurturing the earth below it,
turning it into rich crumbly humus
to replenish the soil.
5.
Unpoem
The smell of garbage
brings a reminder of the day
I read the letter telling me
you were leaving me.
The memories of our time together
buzz around my mind
like flies attracted to refuse.
My thoughts of you are withered, dead plants
to be added to the compost pile
to decompose along with the
grass clippings of the love I had for you.
All that we had together
breaking down to decay.
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