Trash Talk

'Trash Talk' is a creative writing exercise of sorts that spawned from ordering a to-go chai latte from my new favourite cafe, Transcend. As their take-out containers are deliciously made from compostable material, the guilt of having forgotten my coffee cup was lessened. The container, its structure and feel, made quite an impact on me and inspired the following writing exercise.

Talking trash, in colloquial terms, is about venting. It's about ranting about an incident that has perturbed you, or anonymously spazing (this is the technical term) about someone who has upset the flow of your day. Trash Talk, as the writing exercise, combines venting with sustainability practices and experimental composition. The idea behind it is that you reclaim an item that has been intended for trash and use it as your medium to write upon. The recovered trash is not only the medium upon which to write, it is also the muse to write about, if one so wishes.

In my to-go cup writing exercise, I thought it would be humorous to look at the concept of biodegradable from the cup's perspective. In a sense the cup is venting about being a finite object. And so came about the genesis of the Trash Talk poem 'Untitled':


I biodegrade when
tossed out, how
degrading is that?

Pharaohs were
embalmed to be
preserved for all time.

Even kindergartner's
art work is laminated.

Enjoy your soy chai
latte and feel
environmentally friendly sound
while I
whither to
the ground. ~cup