Wherever one looks, there are piles of rubbish; owls sit facing each other.

This couplet paints a vivid picture of extreme neglect. It suggests a place where wherever you look, there's a pile of garbage. Imagine a scene of utter disarray and filth. Adding to this, it says mites are sitting opposite each other. These tiny creatures, often found in decaying wood or neglected spaces, are comfortably settled, almost as if they've made themselves at home. Together, these lines depict an environment so dirty and unkempt that it's been taken over by squalor and decay. It's a powerful way to describe a very neglected or even corrupt situation, where things have gone entirely wrong and are left to rot.