he has the container opened forcing a reluctant
gap: a screeching in the machinery.
the reek, the laughter of garbage.
half-smothered by the fetid breath, the man
with the hook pokes and prods among the rubbish,
and a cloud of mosquitoes greets him.
he doesn’t weaken, he dreams of diamonds,
treasures hidden among the refuse.
and finds in the blackness of the mute sarcophagus
an orphan girl-child, one eyelid askew,
as pretty as a little cake, who looks at him
fearfully, and he plucks her from that foul
cradle and carries her over to the trailer
that waits for articles of sacred origin
with gentle and ceremonious care.