An idea. A poem. A challenge.

SERVICE
by Dallas Clayton

You should leave your house today
with an empty garbage bag
and some walking shoes
and start off toward no where at all.

On the way you should pick up every piece of trash you find
that hasn’t already been claimed
by a smaller animal
and stuff it into your bag.

You should see how far you make it
before your bag is full,
and once it is
you should turn around and walk back.

On the way back
you should think about your neighbors
and how they aren’t bad people
and don’t consider themselves filthy
But how they managed to waste so much
and leave it all out here
for you to carry home.

When you get home
you should put the bag on your kitchen counter
and draw a face on it with a magic marker
and give it a name
and take a picture of it
and make it some tea.

While you drink the tea
you should talk to it,
and tell it a secret that you’ve never told anyone before.
After you’re done you should stuff it into a trash can
and gently close the lid
and put it out on the curb for collection.

After that, you should go lay down
and close your eyes
and think about yourself
and how you aren’t a bad person
and don’t consider yourself filthy
and how nice it is to go for a walk
and clear your head
on a beautiful day like today.



Dallas Clayton is a children's book author, illustrator, artist, and generally clever man. He just released a new children's book called The Awesome Book.