Making bricks

 Red says

-We’ll come back later,

after you knock off.

It’s getting pretty hot.

I’m gonna finish up the tour.

-Yeah, see ya in a bit, Red.

-Nice to meet you, Mack.

Shanice winks,

-I could show you some things too.

-oh, yeah, uh, ok.

Red rolls her eyes at Shanice.

-C’mon Mack, you ain’t seen

nothing yet.

They gather their bikes

and ride back to the main street.

A short way past the intersection

they come to a large wallless shed

where a half dozen old fashioned 

cement mixers are slowly revolving.

More villagers, in the ubiquitous

white coveralls are shoveling

material into the mixers and

adding water to the mix.

Red says

-Welcome to the brick works.

This is where we make

21st century adobe.

-21st century?

What’s the difference?

Isn’t adobe a pretty ancient material?

-Yeah, basically, the sand and clay.

But we use plastic instead of straw.

Unless you count drinking straws.

Water bottles, packaging, various

discarded plastics.

-First we grind them into shreds.

The plastic in adobe bricks

should last at least 500 years

before it breaks down. Maybe more,

Guess we’ll find out.

The plastic grinders are powered

by those vertical wind turbines

over there next to the shed.

Some of the villagers

are hauling wheelbarrows

out beyond the shed and

filling wooden forms with

the wet adobe mix.

When the last load has

been poured, they begin walking

back to the shed. A man begins

to sing and the others join in

I don’t want to see the world
go to weeds and rats
mining for old plastic
and eating dogs and cats

the cars all rusted,
birds gasping for breath,
all the toys were broken
or dress rehearsing death

I saw sparrows eating moths

off radiator grills
they say coyotes

eat the poodles
when they come down

from the hills.

i never saw a rhino,

frogs and bats

are getting scarce

i want to see spring oaks

explode in leaf and light,
with a thousand golden finches

bursting into flight

i don’t want to see the world
go to weeds and rats
mining for old plastic
and eating dogs and cats

-Wow, what is that?

-The song? It’s something

this old guy, Mark, who lived

here years ago wrote.

we found some discs

with his music in his house.

And his player fired right up.

Most everybody here

knows some of the songs.

-huh. pretty cool.

Putting the harmony

in Harmony I guess.

-You could say that

I suppose. Let’s join them

and the other crew

at the cafe for ice tea

and lunch. Then it’s siesta.