this morning #2296.

this morning, he positioned the pole on his shoulders. a packed, large plastic bag hanging off of either side. both bags filled to the brim with bottles & cans. a three-hour haul. hundreds. maybe thousands. fished out of recycling bins all over the neighborhood. an income earned in five-cent increments. he walked them down the block to the spot & fed them one by one into the gaping maw of a reverse vending machine. collected his cash. counted it twice. a decent day’s work. rolled it up & stuck it in his secret spot. checked his watch. 10:10am. the whole day ahead of him. spent most of it home in a chair by the window with a book, a box of biscuits & a cup of tea. watched the street. free of stress for now. tomorrow he’ll get up at dawn & do the same as today somehow.