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Trash Pandas

By Andrew Scott

PROMPT—No one noticed ...

People around here call them Trash Pandas.

Visitors that come in the silence of the night

so, no one can hear or see them.

Searching our garbage for food.


See the remains of the search

every Wednesday morning.

They try so hard to clean up

however, it is impossible.

My broom picks up the remains.


I was up late one Tuesday night

when I heard the cans

being shuffled, searched through.

Quietly, I looked out the window.

Surprised by what I saw.

Always assumed it was animals

that made the community mess

but it was not.


In the dark, there was a shadow of two.

It looked like an adult and a child

trying to be quiet, invisible

as they went through the cans.

I watched however did not say a word.


After seeing this

I started making too much food

for one person to have on Tuesdays.

Made sure it was in a bag

on top of the curbside trash can

so, it could be easily found.


I do not care what brought

these two to our nighttime neighborhood.

That was not my business.

Never approached them either

so, I did not scare them

and they could keep a bit of dignity.

Everyone needs food.


I have heard neighbors grumble,

complaining every Wednesday

about the animalistic Trash Pandas

with a snarl on their faces.


Makes a person think to themselves

what would happen

if they ever became Trash Pandas themselves

how would they feel?


 

Andrew Scott is a native of Fredericton, NB. During his time as an active poet, Andrew Scott has taken the time to speak in front of classrooms, judge poetry competitions, and publish over 200 writings worldwide in such publications as The Art of Being Human, Battered Shadows, and The Broken Ones. Andrew Scott has published five poetry books, Snake with A Flower, The Phoenix Has Risen, The Path, The Storm Is Coming, Whispers of the Calm, and Searching and one book of photography, Through My Eyes. Letter to You is his seventh poetry book. He writes from Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.

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