Seeing Like a Worm

CONSIDER THE DUMPSTER. What’s in it? Where does it go? This winter, the house next door to us is being gut renovated—and gut renovation means dumpsters. Every few days, a full one is hauled off, an empty one set in its place. You can see the dumpster’s edge from a window upstairs in my house, but to see inside, I’ve had to trespass a bit. A few times, on my way to campus, I’ve set my bike against the dumpster, grabbed the rim, and hoisted myself up to peek over the top.