Trash

David Horvitz

February 13, 2009

Do this on a very windy day in the city. Find some fishing wire. Now go outside and collect trash that is blowing in the street. Collect anything that blows. Plastic bags. Newspaper. Etc... String the trash together making a loose circle by tying the ends. Now throw this up above your head releasing it as if it were a kite that has escaped. If it is really windy a circle of trash should fly around in the air. The idea here is not to advocate the existence of trash, but to reorder and represent what already exists. Do not add new trash. Also, think about color when you do this.

Dallas Clayton

SERVICE

You should leave your house today
with an empty garbage bag
and some walking shoes
and start off toward no where at all.

On the way you should pick up every piece of trash you find
that hasn’t already been claimed
by a smaller animal
and stuff it into your bag.

You should see how far you make it
before your bag is full,
and once it is
you should turn around and walk back.

On the way back
you should think about your neighbors
and how they aren’t bad people
and don’t consider themselves filthy
But how they managed to waste so much
and leave it all out here
for you to carry home.

When you get home
you should put the bag on your kitchen counter
and draw a face on it with a magic marker
and give it a name
and take a picture of it
and make it some tea.

While you drink the tea
you should talk to it,
and tell it a secret that you’ve never told anyone before.
After you’re done you should stuff it into a trash can
and gently close the lid
and put it out on the curb for collection.

After that, you should go lay down
and close your eyes
and think about yourself
and how you aren’t a bad person
and don’t consider yourself filthy
and how nice it is to go for a walk
and clear your head
on a beautiful day like today.