CLEANING UP TRASH by Michael Krepon

Some people go to church, synagogue or mosque. I commune with higher powers by picking up trash. There’s an abundance of it along country roads, thrown out the window by non-locals in transit.

The land around the country roads where I live is quite beautiful. The trash throwers are too deep in their own thoughts to notice; they’re engaged in mindless behavior patterns — something we humans know quite a bit about. Litterers habitually trash their bodies and then dispose of the detritus out the window. (In case you were wondering, the most littered can of beer around our way, by far, is Bud Light.) Roadside trash is a visible manifestation of lack of ownership, lack of caring. I think better of myself by picking it up. It also helps to clear my mind and to get off my butt.

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