“Cycling” by Joseph Mills

Each year the city schedules Bulk Item Day, 
and households drag old furniture and clutter 
from attics, basements, and garages to the curb. 
The week before, unfamiliar cars and trucks 
begin to circle the blocks, picking and collecting.
Once I wheeled out an old rusted bike, walked up
the drive, and turned around to find it gone. 

For me, there is an excitement to the day,
a sense of possible treasures on every street,
a sense of relief at having so much weight
taken away, and it’s fascinating to get 
glimpses of who people were or wanted to be 
– the exercise equipment and rowing machines,
the bunk beds for children long grown,
the full-size naugahyde bar (no surprise since
their recycling bin had gone from being full 
of whiskey bottles to Diet Coke cans).

Like all holidays, this unofficial one celebrates
renewals, readjustments and recommitments,
and, it shows there are people who believe
they can make use of the broken obsolete parts 
of a life. Sometimes I wonder if we should 
designate a day to open our houses and 
let people in. How would we see each other
afterwards? Would we be more understanding?
More generous? If they took something away,
would we feel lightened? Would we better
appreciate what remained? Would we feel 
anxious or angry, or would we follow them 
to the curb, helping to load their selections, 
saying, Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. 

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