Thinker : Telling Stories : Beer in the Panhandle
by Keywords

by Date

Riding my bike through the Panhandle. I see a homeless person sitting on the ground, talking to his friend in a wheel chair. A usual sight. He throws his empty aluminum beer can about 10 feet away from him. There's trash all over the place, but I've never seen anyone actually put it there. I ride to the can. He begins to babble, "I was going to throw it away." Right. I pick up the can and throw it at the guy. He asks, "Hey, are you shooting that at me?" I nod my head. He charges me and I take off on my bike. Ha. Ha.

I wonder, will he stop littering? Will he litter with a vengeance to spite me? Will he forget in five minutes, a day, a week?

Was there any more succinct way for me to communicate with him?

First written Wed, Aug 6, 1997
Last published Wed, Jun 2, 1999