Category: Culture

Culture in New York City sometimes starts, and ends, on the City’s sidewalks.

Abandoned lamp of 55th Street under holiday lights.

Lamp’s Last Words

The necklace of lights,Draped over 55th Street, Shine their cold brilliance,On my sidewalk defeat. What happens to your light,When it does nothing wrong? But the passage of time,Strikes the final gong. This freezing night,In north Hells Kitchen, Was not the...Read More

Screen Time

Posted on by NYC Trash Stories

You stared at me for hours, As I fed you information. You clicked and cursed at me, While making your creations. We were a creative pair, Changing the world together. But now I’m alone and outside, Battered by the weather....Read More

Mind Control

Posted on by NYC Trash Stories

You told me how to cut my hair,And talked over what I had to say. Mind control begins when you sit down,And trust the process to be okay. But then the money stops flowing,And so do your guns of hot...Read More

Abandoned washing machine on a New York City sidewalk.

Coming Clean

Posted on by nyctrashtalk_4p0wuo

What do people mean, When they finally come clean? And wash their bed sheets into flags of surrender, While laundering their souls in a hot air blender? Life is a whirlwind measured by an invisible clock, Mocked by the injustices...Read More

Signing Off

Posted on by nyctrashtalk_4p0wuo

52,000 marathon runners, But this sign is for you. For everything you are, And everything you do. 26.2 miles is an incredibly long race, But so is life and the challenges we face. I’m so grateful that your miles are...Read More

Abandoned cactus cat scratching post on 9th Avenue in Hell's Kitchen, New York City.

Rough Night Out

Posted on by nyctrashtalk_4p0wuo

I escaped the claws of a lion To be abandoned in the rain, But I was gloriously free To start my life again. But the night brought a recklessness That only a sad mind can understand, Because when you’re alone...Read More

Trash Item of the Year: Chairs

Posted on by nyctrashtalk_4p0wuo

I’m guessing 2022 will go down in history as the year New Yorkers got out of their chairs and began to live again. After seemingly countless false starts declaring “New York City is back!”, it wasn’t until later in 2022...Read More

Life Is A Marathon

Posted on by nyctrashtalk_4p0wuo

My fiancé has run the NYC marathon five times. A few years ago she introduced me to her favorite part of the event: Finish Line After Dark. Long after the sun has set and the runners have drifted off to...Read More

discarded sink in New York City's theater district

Washed Your Hands Of This

Posted on by nyctrashtalk_4p0wuo

You finally made it to Broadway, Wearing costumes you made at home. But everyone knew you were acting, And now you’re all alone. The summer heat felt like applause, Ovations of sweat and lust. Your dreams became your reality, But...Read More

Missed America

Posted on by nyctrashtalk_4p0wuo

Darts on a board, Red, white, and blue. Our aim was off, But our intentions were true. Does any of it matter, When the game is a lie? What happens to scorekeepers, When the numbers die? The British Empire fell,...Read More

West Side Sorry*

Posted on by nyctrashtalk_4p0wuo

I am a manhole cover, Wanted no more. I kept you from falling, Through the City floor. But now I’m diseased with rust, Because I’ve forever lost your trust. Sometimes I explode in flame, And violently land without shame. But...Read More

I Was Proud

Posted on by nyctrashtalk_4p0wuo

There was a time When I was proud. I had majestic horns And my enemies bowed. Love was mine And so were you. But time changed us And I changed too. My weakness showed My demons glowed. From home I...Read More

Next Life Time

Posted on by nyctrashtalk_4p0wuo

I prey when I wake up I’ll be a Lamborgini Electric rock rap god I’ll prey to a god That when I am to be risen Thought Full This poem was pulled directly from a notebook discovered flapping on a...Read More

Your Day

Posted on by nyctrashtalk_4p0wuo

This day is always so fun, Another trip around the sun. You and loved ones celebrating together, Knowing you are not plastic and won’t last forever. But that doesn’t matter because today is about you, And now this trash is...Read More

Practice. Practice. Practice.

Posted on by nyctrashtalk_4p0wuo

The secret to landing on stage at Carnegie Hall is through practice, practice, practice. However, throughout this past year (and more) countless New Yorkers have had to exercise the discipline of patience, patience, patience. How do you get to Carnegie...Read More

NYC AC: The Chilling Truth

Posted on by nyctrashtalk_4p0wuo

Summer nights in New York City are imbued with the sultry sound of tank-top men and braless women bathed in a sheen of sweat and bone moonlight, leaning from clanking fire escapes while smoking weed and yelling at boisterous strangers...Read More

Elementary Art

Posted on by nyctrashtalk_4p0wuo

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” - Pablo Picasso “Logic will take you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” - Albert Einstein “The strength of every...Read More

Book Ends for Introverts

Posted on by nyctrashtalk_4p0wuo

Introverted New Yorkers will forever lament the demise of books in New York City. No matter how intimidating it felt to attend a friend’s social gathering or holiday apartment party, when social anxiety struck, there was always the bookshelf to...Read More

knitting is a popular hobby in new york city

Knit Wits

Posted on by nyctrashtalk_4p0wuo

The era of COVID-19 and quarantining has dramatically changed how New Yorkers live life. To cope with our daily anxiety and deep sense of isolation, many New Yorkers have taken on new hobbies and self-improvement initiatives. Knitting, for example, offers...Read More

New York City Pizza: Urban Soul Food

Posted on by nyctrashtalk_4p0wuo

New York City pizza is the symbol of our culture and the signature staple food in the culinary lexicon of our citizens. Our colorful City is home to more than 8.3 million people who speak over 800 different languages. With...Read More