I ask forgiveness
for my complicity
in the world's impending
styrofoam catastrophe,
for getting a new cup sometimes
when I have one at home
or in our other car;
and for writing poems on the backs
of flyers that someone paid
his good money for so he
could advertise things;
for the way I'll waste still more money
on diet coke from the convenience store
on the way home, when we have
plenty of coke in our own refrigerator,
and for leaving the water
running while I do the dishes.
I know I use more Equal
than is good for my
divinely-given body,
and go around with a little
buzz from caffeine when I could
have unadulterated peace;
and because I try to keep
my consciousness balanced
by chasing coffee
with huge glasses of water,
I pee twenty times a day,
flushing the toilet each time
in a drought state.
Have mercy on me, an abject
consumer.
Max Reif
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/36-for-small-sins/
