Dear Plastic

Dear Plastic,

Dear?

Well, yes, you must be dear to me.

You have been with me every step of the way.

A fondness is formed in that.

Dear also in that you come at a high cost -

You have cost us the world as it was.

I grow bitter at the thought of you -

Your power over everything,

Your careless disregard for the lives of others -

The life of our Mother,

But not our Mother.

Your origin is less natural and more sinister.

Who gave you this hold over our existence?

Us.

We made you - in every sense.

We created your fibers

And ensure that they surround us.

We transformed you into everything we had ever needed,

Everything we could dream of.

We helped your lifeless population grow.

Unlimited.

To outnumber us all.

To outlive us all.

Every step of the way.

Every moment of the day.

We are using you.

Or are you using us?

As we try to survive, you thrive.

In the name of advancement,

We advance your artificial rule -

Stretching your limits and enhancing your repertoire.

There is seemingly nothing you can’t do.

Nobody realizes the impact of their wasteful modern habits.

Even those of us who are conscious of the dominos next in line

We cannot fathom the whole of the problem.

We have woven a tangled web

We will never escape.

A web of you, Plastic.

In this newfangled age of waste,

People have become infatuated with single-use.

It’s like the word “disposable” brings with it great appeal.

Do others feel shame when their drink comes in a cup meant for minutes?

I have come to save mine and turn minutes into days,

Single-use into multi-use.

Even still, several uses and a paper cup will change its shape,

The plastic lid no longer clinging to its edge.

Every “disposable” cup from which I drink

Now comes with the memory

Of the time I was asked for mine,

Empty and used,

So another could have a vessel

From which to drink

For a few days.

Perhaps if enough people

Took upon themselves

The burden of consciousness,

The privilege of awareness,

You would not have become

Such a vast and overarching problem.

Maybe your power wouldn’t have gone unchecked for so long.

The Plastic Bag Store brought me to tears.

Not that I was in the dark

Of your reality -

Our reality with you -

But to see it depicted so beautifully,

So tragically,

So directly,

One can’t help but sob.

I find myself

Crying at the thought of you

At random, inconvenient times,

But that's how I know that I am aware

Of the mess we have made

And how backwards

Our attempt at progress was.

Is.

Time and again,

We prove the ineffectiveness of convenience.

Convenience is not an endless supply of new

Things that will last forever.

It is accepting that

The most convenient way

Takes consistent minimal work.

Like carrying a drinking vessel.

One vessel can last forever

And always take up the same amount of space.

How convenient is that?

Plastic, your contradictions frustrate me.

However, I know it isn't your fault.

I see so much potential in you.

You achieve greatness.

You enhance safety.

You save lives.

You also end them.

I can see where you get your conflicting qualities.

The apple, as expected, didn’t fall far from the tree.

Humans, a part of nature,

Made you,

Yet you we call "artificial."

Who are we to decide?

We make the items.

We make the labels.

How would you decide?

When do we switch over?

To the unnatural?

As you already

Course through our veins.

At what point are we no longer natural?

I wonder, Plastic,

How do years work for you?

Your life is so very long,

Yet also often so short -

That is, if life is measured in active time.

Is a year for us just a minute for you?

Is it the opposite of dog years?

I have digressed,

But it goes to show

That only makes my point more clear.

Plastic,

I can't go a day without thinking of you.

Not even a moment.

With the utmost sincerity,

Calista