Plastic

A poem

Photo Credit: UnSplash

In the ordinary The everyday

Washing my hair Plastic

Brushing my teeth Plastic

Putting on my makeup Plastic

Doing dishes Plastic

Doing laundry Plastic

And somehow we think we are clean And somehow we think we are pretty

We sit on piles of trash in every action, in every phase

Throw it away, they say To where, we don’t ask

Somehow sustainable and reusable have become only affordable for the yoga moms who shop at Whole Foods

I’ve been there I’ve checked

Lululemon pants abound Sporty, carefree, whiteness, money

Plastic free shampoo soap bars, $18 dollars Plastic free organic tooth powder, $20 dollars Plastic free, toxin free, organic, fair trade makeup, $50 dollars

We know it exists, we know the world could change We know it could all be green and clean

But the system prefers to protect and give clout to the have’s in all areas

Just look at what they good things they buy, just look at how much the rich folks care about saving the planet!

Meanwhile the poor, my people, me, shop at the Dollar Tree

Priced out of the Green Movement Yet

Blamed for waste, blamed for not trying, blamed for somehow causing things that have been taken out of our hands, out of their hands, — out of my hands, -

Economic justice is climate justice is racial justice is gender justice

We do what we can

Jenny Justice is a mom, Sociology instructor, and writer. You can follow her on Medium, at Jenny Justice, Writer, and on Patreon. She has been recognized as a Top Writer on Medium in the areas of Parenting, Reading, Racism, Education, Poetry, and Climate Change, so far.