Day 167

A determined crowd
Tears through garbage bags, culling
What can be salvaged

(Intrepid Boyfriend and I were walking down Atlantic Avenue late last night when we saw a small, chaotic crowd in the distance, milling around outside of a certain very popular grocery store. As we got closer, it became apparent that the store had just put out its waste in a few small dumpsters. The people frantically ripped the trash bags to shreds, extracting bruised vegetables, expired meats, and rotting fruit. One man whooped as he discovered a carton of unbroken eggs. Another woman neatly laid out her finds on the sidewalk, most of them covered in grime and food scraps, as if envisioning the meals she could prepare with them. There are a many, many hungry people in this city. I've always known that. I see homeless people often, and I've seen people picking through the trash many times before. But I've never seen anything like this.)