the bottle

See that tote bag over there by the chair?
You know it used to be a bottle.

And see that big sack fully packed with bric-a-brac,
sure 'nuff used to be a bottle.

And don't you think that it's fine
that time after time we're reusing the bottle?

Do you see that fleece hat on that hip cat?
That too used to be a bottle.

Much more than an idle rumor, if its post-consumer
probably used to be a bottle.

If you please, avoid bag fees with one of these

that used to be a bottle.

And don't you think that it's fine,
and well past time for reusing bottles.

Don't you think it's 'bout time,
that we finally tried recycling all the bottles.

(With apologies to Mr. Scott-Heron, whose original song* was quite a bit more serious than this.)

This live "guaguanco" version is probably not the original, but explains the guaguanco rhythm and its traditional significance,  and is long, and rocks.

Also see Alec Wilkinson's profile of Scott-Heron in the New Yorker from 2010.

Peace.