THE PROFESSIONAL SCAVENGER

he pedals slowly and deliberately on his 
furiously overloaded bicycle 
burdened to surfeit with black plastic bags of aluminum cans

he is a retired asian man, perhaps a very youthful 
65 years of age
to whom those cans mean everything, especially when 
you live on pension

people are amazingly receptive to him 
for in the process of picking up cans, he is 
performing a public service in the interest 
of the public cleanliness

besides nobody has any qualms with this way in 
which he supplements perhaps a modest pension

the spirit is in this man 
as he makes his rounds
he is well known at least by sight

he very seldom speaks to anyone 
but proudly asserts his independence 
perhaps he IS the model citizen who we should 
look up to...