Yesterday, I wandered into the park just as a little league game was wrapping up. I circled the field, taking in the wildlife. I enjoyed a glimpse of an unusually red cardinal and held my breath through a steady fall of pollen. As I returned to the entrance of the field, an older man in a team jersey just stopped and began urinating next to a lamp post. He was right out in the open and had kids and parents trailing behind him. No one seemed to notice or care. After an involuntary shiver, I continued to a different section of the park. Walking the path, I soon noticed that a middle-aged woman was standing in the distance and staring at me without trying to disguise her gaze. As I closed the distance between us, she inserted an index finger into her nostril and began digging. She removed the offending digit just as I passed her. These interactions left me hoping that these freshly woke hibernators will soon recall the minimum of our social contract.

Syd Royce
The One Thing, 2018
Digital image
9000 x 10188 pixels at 600dpi.