Politics in China
Two young couples on the beach look at the sea.
They comment on how blue the water is seen from afar,
How clear the sky is, punctuated by clouds of white.
They point out a child playing in the surf.
Inside the waves there’s trash:
Shampoo bottles
Styrofoam computer packaging
Shreds of tarpaulin
Energy drink wrappers
Wooden meat skewers
Neon drawstrings
The top of a toilet plunger
Juice boxes
Chair legs
Paint canisters
Packing beads
The leg of an action figure.
The child picks up the leg and waves it in the air.
The couples begin to describe his movements.
They still aren’t talking about the trash.
Not yet.