Blue Tarp
©2003 Craig Ashby
Digital Photograph

Blue Tarp is a giant pile of just that. Stains and dirt and folds. A glorious ode to street finds in the city.

The city is full of these leftovers. So dirty nobody will adopt them. Filthy bits you don’t even want to touch.

Most people don’t even look at them. I always do. Drawn in by the horror. Surveying as though I know that someday I may need them.

Seeing so many homeless in the city and having heard their stories you know it could be you. One mistake and you could be one of those people nobody will help. People thrown away like blue tarps.

This is why many people avert their gaze. They know that there is really no difference between them and the homeless. A couple of paychecks and an unfortunate series of events.

This also makes them avoid looking at the trash on the streets too. They will never utilize anything that isn’t new. They have those paychecks and a mind full of delusion.

When I first moved to New York City I had the youthful delusion that if I failed, I could always cop out and kill myself. That was the sad joke when I chose to move here. Now I know it isn’t an option. Now I see the truth of the city and know it could get much worse.