He ran through the willows as though nothing could touch him. His foot speed was something to behold and he took great pride in that.
In all the land there was nothing that could catch him…or so he thought. All that was about to change. Perhaps it was the rhythmic pounding of placing one foot in front of the other, but atypical thoughts were now crossing his mind. He did notice something in the land for the first time that disturbed him and so he ran across the breath of it to see if it was also true there as well.
The swift figure ran over to the driftwood that had been layered at the Falls after the last flood…and discovered that his pursuer was here too. Next he tried the river. Surely, the currents would have washed it all away by now? But he found that what was bothering him was gaining speed as well.
By the water, the runner found that it was just as bad here and in a moment of panic he decided to run home.
He lived in the roots of a favorite willow tree and he found what was vexing him also now found him here at his home. The runner had finally come across an opponent that he could not put behind him.
In the willows, it was like this discarded net he nearly ran into.
By the driftwood, it literally was everywhere…on top and intermixed with everything else.
By the river it was perhaps even worse. There was rubbage floating along and drifting by with the currents. Who knew where this stuff would eventually end up?
He even found it by his beloved home and he wondered why he hadn’t noticed this before now? Something in the day had opened his eyes to the truth around him…everywhere he went he could find discarded waste and it bothered him. Yesterday, he was able to put it out of sight, but today was a different. The runner found what he couldn’t out run was a sense of responsibility he was now feeling for the land that was his home.
The trash that was everywhere to be seen, ( if only people would choose to see it), was like a grenade in the sand just waiting to explode. At some point, it would enter the ecosystem in even more intimate ways and affect the lives of all that live here. For the first time, the runner realized that he had a shared responsibility to the other life around him and that ultimately, they would all share the same fate together.
Artist at Exit 0 Riverblog 
Wow. Those last two images really bring this post home. The grenade and then all that is left is the footprints. That is what so many of us are doing, running, running, running. I have thought on the issue of garbage. At first I thought your garbage you were photographing in this blog must have been people pitching it in the river, but the more I thought about it I began thinking about trash day and recycle day in my neighborhood on a windy night before pick up where trash is picked up by the wind and carried everywhere! Trash day often means pick up trash in my yard, also. Some people just leave it to blow on and on. Tons of trash days, multitude of people disposing and, if one fourth of them don’t pick up their yards, oh my! Good post, Al. Very creative.
I think you are right Leslie about the trash arriving in multiple ways. I have watched all manner of things blow out of the beds of pick-up trucks going down the street. Their drivers were unaware that anything had happened at all.
I love the runner – so animated!…and can he run too:-) Unfortunately he couldn’t run from the inevitable rubbish and it’s getting worse. The sight of the plastic and old tyres floating in the river really brings it home to us, just how negligent we have become. Theres no running away from it – pick it up! The runner illustrates this very well. He should be on an advert:-)
Not only should we pick it up, but I think we should consider whether some of this stuff is necessary to create in the first place. If we don’t make junk, perhaps disposal won’t be as big an issue. I’m sure the world could do without plastic hand grenades! Yes, I know I’m a dreamer! Try as we might, there are actions and consequences we cannot ignore and escape and the more we resist…the longer these problems persist.
O Al, wonderful wonderful piece. I so love your ‘running’ figure. You are one cool artist creating with trash.
As for the issues–I think we’re all in agreement.
Very good point raised about people being so unaware in general regarding trash–and how much of this junk do we NEED?
Every time I venture into a store I am amazed at all things that are so ‘useless’–even in the grocery stores.
Is this a sign of insanity?
Thanks again, Al.