Monday, January 16, 2023

trash removal by Ben Newell

As dishwasher
I am tasked with trash removal,
a duty I perform twice daily
and this morning
after hurling the big black sack
into the dumpster 
I hear a faint mumbling/scuffling
which turns out to be
a homeless man
hiding behind the steel bin;
scavenging for scraps
I imagine
or seeking shelter from 
the stabbing wind
as I return to the dish pit,
a little less pissed
about my lot in life,
a little less angry
about my shitty job.




Ben Newell recently turned 50. He dropped out of the Bennington Writing Seminars during his first semester, eventually resuming his studies at Spalding University where he earned an MFA. He taught high school English for one day.

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