Scavengers

I’ll start this one in the middle:
We’re fighting even though, or just because,
We both believe in the same things
And nothing really matters
Beyond the business at hand.
We jump into our wars

And pick every little battle
As scavengers collect aluminum:
No scrap is too small
As long as it’s redeemable;
Never mind how silly we look
Dragging garbage down the street;
They’ll weigh it in the end

And we’ll have some money to eat.
Here’s one of those positions, by the way,
We share but fight about endlessly:
Having enough tender
To pay the bills, a little more
To get through rainy days,

That, and being allowed to be a dreamer:
See, I’ve, and you’ve, had dreams of better days
And both of us are wondering
And worrying the same things:
About the balance of suffering,
Today and tomorrow, and how
We’ll bear it now
And weigh it in the end.