the garbage man

for under 10$ an hourly wage
you too can be the lucky one
who rides around on the back of a pungent & filthy green
garbage truck for ten hours a day
hopping off and then back on at a
breakneck pace
in order to empty those large cans
filled with all the disgusting refuse that one can imagine,
but did you know about the action adventure life that comes with
this
profession?

the garbage man sees all
starting at 4am,
he is often greeted by inebriated women in robes
stumbling out to molest them on their lawn
even if it has begun to rain---
the garbage man needs to jump off the back of the truck
quick like a bunny
when the truck slides too far to the side of the road on hard terrain
almost hitting traffic signs
(which might very well decapitate the garbage man in question)---
the garbage man finds all of the little erotic nothings
which people throw away in their trash
but which end up tearing open in the dumping &
it isn’t hard to find out the existing realities,
those old men with porn libraries that are purged biweekly or
those couples who are trying to save their sex lives by
incorporating
sex toys &
bondage apparatuses---
he can be greeted by those who do not pay their bills & whose
garbage does not get picked up
by loud profanity,
sometimes people will even throw things at him if they are so inclined.

he is out there heaving your waste come rain or shine
with the garbage reeking in the hot summer sun
or with his fingers & toes freezing in the winter---
he’s tramping through the snow banks
with his hands double-gloved &
no lunch break in sight
as the truck runs on a strict time schedule---
he’s out there
doing another job that you won’t do yourself,
making less money than you &
scrubbing off the remnants with lava soap.