2003-02-18 - 2:10 a.m.
Since the age of seventeen, when I walked away from my life of vandalism and public urination, I've become a long time opponent of vandalism and public urination. But recently I couldn't resist indulging myself in a little graffiti.
Late at night when I make it to the 14th Street PATH station, I always have a fifteen minute wait on my hands. At this point I've already been reading for an hour, so often I wander along the platform reading what people have written on the poster board advertisements attached to the walls.
Last night I happened upon an ad that someone had written an anti-war message on:
Invading Iraq Will Not Stop Terrorism!
Directly underneath that someone else with a different pen and handwriting had written:
Well, What WILL Stop Terrorism?
Suddenly inspired I looked in my bag and saw my trusty yellow highlighter pen. I chimed in on the debate in yellow ink:
LOVERISM
The tip of the pen sent squeaks echoing down the partially empty tunnel. Just as I finished writing two girls approached. I stepped away. As they passed the ad they immediately read the dialogue. One girl pointed at my addition, the other commented, "Oh, that's soo cute!"
Sure, it's a far too simple solution to a horribly complex nightmare of a situation, but the instant gratification of being understood on this level felt really encouraging.
