The Little Red Can


Little Red Can, where to today?

I’m chasing the lady who threw me away
To find her and ask her what did I say,
Why did she choose to treat me this way?

Did she not think to use you once more
To fill you with flowers to place by a door
To brighten a room and capture the light—
Your sparkly coat is such a fine sight.

She carried on walking and didn’t once look
Back in the mud on the path near the truck
Where if not for the wind I’d be rusting and stuck.

Little Red Can, where have you been?

I tumbled and rolled, can you guess what I’ve seen
As I clattered past shops and the old village green
Where all the nice things needed love and a clean.

Did you visit the playground, chock full of weeds,
And the pond where rare birds once hid in its reeds?
Did you pass through the arches of Tumbledown Mill
Or the dump at the foot of the loneliest hill?

I saw all these things, and much more beside,
So much left to waste, I wanted to hide
But I didn’t stop long on my wind-powered ride.

Little Red Can, this is not right!

I think once I’m dropped that I’m gone out of sight,
The lady, and others, don’t think of the plight
I pose to the creatures who nibble and bite.

But you’re made from the riches dug from the earth
And cast to one side like you are not worth
Saving or placing safe in a bin,
Recycled for use as some other tin.

Yes, and then with the bottles and bags by the tree
We drift and we roll right into the sea,
If you care for this world you can’t let this be.

Little Red Can, what can we do?

This mess can be fixed by them, me and you
By working together to do what we do
Like reusing cups not buying brand new.

We could reduce and reuse and recycle our waste
And think of our world which suffers from haste.
To clean our tomorrows and save all our seas
We should use fewer plastics, take care of our trees.

Yes! Together we’ll try and never say ‘shan’t’
I’m the Little Red Can, not the Little Red Can’t!

If you enjoyed this and would like to support my work then please…