Plastic and Addicts



Deadly, I choke
the life out of

every creature. Mistaking me
for vittles, for some form of nourishment,

to their fluid bodies, under the oil-slicked
sheen of the watery surface.

dumped, just like
that homeless guy

into the murky tide. I
abide by no law.

you care not for his life, or for any
that’s not your own. Just as you do,

I take all, and give nothing
in return. Oh, the irony!

that I was once your
straw. You know, the one

used just once, then dumped
without a blind thought into a can meant

to hold all the trash you once treasured
but no longer want.

plastic or heroine - the outcome is
always the same. I abide by no law.

you turn a blind eye to both, until their sorrow
burdens your way of life.

for decades, centuries, I pollute the earth.
and you - you’ve created, you’re still creating,

me - by the billions.
and for what?

so you could have just a quick fix
of liquid joy?

a singular use, that a recyclable bag,
left growing dust on your pantry floor

could fix. I spread through the ocean, much like
a disease. Silently

I am the cancer of the sea,
and the cancer on the streets,

taking all life, until you
care, and put an end to me.

About this poem

This ecopoem is meant to bring to light the grim realities we face due to global crises that come equally from plastics and drugs.

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Written on November 30, 2021

Submitted by lorettasunshineimages on November 30, 2021

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:18 min read
4

Quick analysis:

Scheme XX AX XX BC CD AE FA GX XX XX XD XX XF XX XX XG BA AX EA
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,174
Words 260
Stanzas 19
Stanza Lengths 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2

Loretta Sunshine

Loretta Sunshine is an American poet and photographer whose work is dark, moody, emotional and deeply-felt. more…

All Loretta Sunshine poems | Loretta Sunshine Books

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    "Plastic and Addicts" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 31 Oct. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/114853/plastic-and-addicts>.

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