Paved Paradise, Put Up A Parking Lot

Sweep up leaves, blown in by the wind

That brings change in the weather, rain and pollen.

Sweep up by the hundreds, remnants of cigarettes

smoked for a reason that’s forgotten by now.

Sweep up cans, the bottles, the cups

half-filled with liquids, thirst finally quenched.

Sweep up packaging from products just purchased

or stolen, perhaps a more likely scenario.

Sweep up sticky condoms, the empty whiskey bottles, the used needles

That tell stories of illicit desire in plain sight.

Sweep up paper receipts by the dozen,

records of wants and needs fulfilled, one purchase at a time.

• Kevin Oliver

National Poetry Writing Month, Day 16: write a poem that uses the form of a list to defamiliarize the mundane. Today’s title comes from the best known line in the chorus of Joni Mitchell’s song “Big Yellow Taxi”