Where Does All That Stuff Go?

where does all our trash go after we take it out and quickly forget it

          where do the poisons come from that foul the precious groundwater

         

where does the smoke go from those great and roaring diesel trucks

          where could that asthma come from in such a cute and cuddly little child

where does our litter go as we drive thoughtlessly on away

          where do these smokers learn to toss their butts so carelessly upon the ground

where do the animals go when we bulldoze away their homes

          where does the pride originate which says we are masters of the earth

where do the blue skies go when the smog grows thick and dark

          where does the money come from to clean up our dirty nest

         

where does all that stuff go that we so quickly pour down our drains

          where does the water come from which we need to drink every day

where do those creatures go we see run over out on the highway

          where do all the rats and roaches come scuttling out from under

where do all these people go when they are no longer young

          where do these young folks come from who cannot read or write

where does the dirty water rush to when hard rains fall upon this dirty concrete

          where do those leopard frogs come from that have too many legs

         

where does the wind blow the sulfur belched from these coal-fired smokestacks

          where do the poisons come from that sicken our sweet maples

where do our dreams go when we glimpse things as they really are

          where do the nightmares come from which seize us by the throats

         

where do the chemicals and fertilizers go after the crops are harvested

          where does the bluegrass come from that only grows in our yards

where do our human wastes end up after we see them out and down

          where does the salmonella come from that makes us feel so sick

where does the oil go when it is washed from the pavement

          where do songbirds come from if their baby’s insect food hatches far too early

where does the glass go when their smashed liquor bottles are not picked up

          where do the perverts come from who make us feel so sick

where does the dust go when the great trucks lift it in the air

          where do the scientists come from who bother us with junk facts

where do the calves go who we see romping every spring

          where do those yummy burgers come from that we munch without a care

         

where do the bunnies go when there is no more soft green grass

          where do the foxes take off to when the bunnies are no more

where do the clouds of smoke go when we must finally look away

          where does the oily and littered dirt come from that grows by the highway

where does the rain go after it stops falling upon our rooftops

          where do the rivers come from to which we owe our lives

where does the innocence go whenever the true violence begins

          where do those angry expressions come from on our beloved sons

         

where does our reason go when we march on off to war

          where does that hatred come from which they feel so strongly for us

where do the leftovers go when we toss them away upon our plastic plates

          where do these extra pounds come from, it must be some mistake

where does the protective diversity go when all our crops have identical genes 

          where do all the hungry people come from in this, our land of plenty

where do our minds actually go as we sit idly flipping channels

          where do these desires come from to keep on buying newer products

where do the teachers go when they have had enough of the bullshit

          where do the nurses come from to replace the burned-out who have to quit

where do the executives go when they have gotten all their phony bonuses

          where does your money come from when you are laid off for good at 50

where do those invisible gases go that spew from our tailpipes

          where does the fuel come from that we guzzle without a thought

where do the polar bears go to hunt when all the ice has melted

          where does the food and water come from for the million born each day

where do those whose way of life does not destroy their world live today

          where does the sense of belonging come from for those who have no homes