My first impression of the sights I was forced to look at made me want to cry, or at the very least scream at the top of my lungs. But, because no one would hear me I decided to save the energy in order to write about my disgust. The images are something you’d find in a dump or a waste management fill. This rubbish was certainly far from being managed. We are talking broken glass, burned brush, decapitated furniture, used children’s toys, articles of clothing and much, much more basic trash. It saddens me to think that people used to wear, lounge on or utilize these commodities, yet they were cast to the curb among residential properties as though they had found their final resting place.
I am absolutely astonished, frustrated and annoyed that such things are happening in our beautiful community. It really makes me wonder who some of our neighbors really are. More importantly, how are they living? Do they feel that their “dumping grounds” are justified just because they don’t seem to be monitored? Do they dump at night after everyone nearby has fallen asleep? Speaking of sleep, how can the culprits even sleep? I cannot even fathom what the insides of their homes may look like as I know right here, in the lovely state of Arizona we have serious hoarding issues. Just tune into Fox News nightly and you’ll be constantly reminded of such issues.
I can honestly say that this story was hard to write given the photos are capable of telling it themselves. I felt obligated and compelled to bring this awareness to you so that, if you are so inclined, maybe when you are out and about doing errands you could take a detour and see for yourself. Also, I urge you to please bring a trash bag with you. This has got to stop! If we, as a community don’t pull together and take part in the clean up, who exactly will? Please. Do the right thing. I am on my way back to collect my trash bag full and I’m bringing the following poem with me. (I may even place it under a hidden rock for prayer and possible humanitarian blessings).
Desert Dayz
The stillness in the air so pungent and alarming
A breeze so slight you can barely taste it
Clay yards under sunshine so bright
Scorching the bottoms of my bare feet
Trees, plants and flowers stand no chance of survival
Water once taken for granted now a commodity
Threatening, uncontrolled are the saddening brush fires
Sounds of wild life and humming air units
Adding peaceful desert music to my heart
Majestic mountains so close yet so far
Day dreaming of what used to be
Taking deep breaths a necessary luxury
Abandoned and foreclosed homes abundant
Preserved pets unaware of their destiny
Anticipating a calm before the storm
Disappointed often as it never appears
Thunder and lightning so unenlightening
Begging, praying for the grand monsoons
Waves from the ocean are completely non-existent
Cars driving by now one in a million
Billowy clouds also an extremely rare find
Skies of a cornflower blue so stifling, arid
Children’s fingerprinted windows I see
Dust devils take delight in their actions
Temperatures rising as I long for the eve
Full moon is the only creation that blossoms
Seasons of my past will not meet my future
Only love fills the voids where the East coast ends
And the Southwest begins
Welcome to my Desert Dayz
The location is off Skyline Drive, off Rolling Ridge Road between Carriage and Camino Largo. Approximate GPS coordinates are N 33, 11.917 and W 111, 29.571.
