‘Twas the Night Before Christmas

December 24, 2023 | Published by Julie Buchanan

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the town,
Not a bit of recycling was left on the ground;

The carts were lined up at every curbside,
In hopes that a green truck soon would arrive;

The Amazon boxes lay flat in the bins,
While plastic bottles and cans were rinsed clean for the win;

And mamma in her yoga pants, and I in my sweats,
Had just settled down to watch Commanders and Jets;

When out on the lawn there arose such a rumble,
I sprang to my phone to see if there was trouble;

Straight to the Ring app I tapped it right quick,
To open the Live View and get a clear pic;

The sun going down cast a shadow so dark,
It looked like nighttime in James River Park;

When what to my wandering eye should appear,
The recycling truck on our block, it was here!

With a driver familiar with back roads and lanes,
I knew in a moment it must be C-V-W-M-A.

Faster than stockcars at Richmond Raceway,
I snatched empty glass bottles that once held IPA;

“Hey Honey, what else can I possibly lug?”
“That junk mail, those papers, that empty milk jug!”

From the kitchen and bathroom to laundry room, too,
I grabbed what I could for the recycling crew;

As I threw on my coat and jumped into my Crocs,
I spied one last thing — another mail-order box;

Out to the street I made a mad dash,
For the items I held were anything but trash;

In the cart it all went, and I shut the lid tight,
Just as the driver pulled into sight;

He chuckled to see me, and said through the window,
“Thanks for recycling, we’re real glad you did so.”

Then suddenly, a claw picked up our cart,
It emptied everything into the truck — efficient and smart!

In mere seconds, the job was all done,
Time for the driver to continue his run;

“Happy Holidays,” I called out with a wave,
Thinking of space in the landfill we’d saved.

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Happy Holidays from CVWMA!

Category: News