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There are few ordeals more momentous –
More perplexing, vexed, contentious –
Than dropping the last banana peel
that will fit into the trashcan.
All the times I said, "I'm moral:
I'll always rise up off my laurels
When a good deed needs doing.
And I'll do the best that I can,"
Come ringing back into my ears –
Because what could be more simple here
Than giving all of my roommates joy
At not having to press and mash
Their next contributions of rubbish in,
Or heft the bag, or freshly line the
tin?
In a minute, I could make that
reality...
But who wants to take out this trash,
honestly?
I was drawn to this poem because I myself have many a time done the very same thing. I live with my parents and brother and the times that I have left them a mess like this to clean up are innumerable. Whether it be leaving an empty toilet paper roll instead of replacing it, or leaving a pile of dirty laundry on the floor, or this situation of using all of your might to squeeze a last piece of rubbish into an erupting trash bin, it is all the same. This poem to me is all about the fundamental human flaw of laziness. Most of us like to believe we are good people; we think that if a situation presented itself, we would do the right thing. Yet, everyday our laziness prevents us from doing just that. While it may not be doing major harm to others creating an inconvenience like an overflowing trashcan is still doing a wrong to another human being. I may be taking this poem too literally, but I like it at its face value. It makes me laugh and it reminds me of me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the read. Maybe I’ll empty the trashcan next time.
Kelly L.
That's all I hoped this poem would accomplish, Kelly.
DeleteI hope you do (sing while you carry the bag - I find that makes the trip to the curb more enjoyable).
The collage attached to this poem is what first captured my attention. The Grouch was my favorite character on Sesame Street, and the second image of someone stomping down the trash in the can reminded me of all the times I have done the same thing to avoid taking out the trash. The diction at the start of the poem (ordeal, momentous, perplexing, contentious) contrasted the seemingly trivial action of avoiding taking out the trash. The near rhymes (moral-laurels, ears-here) allows the poem to have a natural tone, as rhymes that are too perfect can feel forced. The comparison of rising off one’s laurels to take out the trash once again places unexpected importance on taking out the trash. The physical act of taking out the trash is not very difficult, but it is an unpleasant, smelly affair. It would be so easy to take out the trash and it would bring joy to the rest of the household, but the speaker doesn’t do it. The last line of the poem is both humorous and honest, and it ends the argument of the poem by offering one simple downside. I feel that this is an experience that is fairly universal, as most people could do something that would make someone else happy and cost them little effort, but rarely do people do anything that does not directly benefit themselves. This poem reminds me to do something small for someone else everyday.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad, dude. And I hope you do.
DeleteI really like the message of this poem, too (and I like putting rhymes into my poems that the ear just barely hears ... like a ghost of something magical. Almost all my poems have a rhyme or near-rhyme hidden somewhere within.)