![]()
DearStranger,
Ahumanbeing,uncertaininexistenceandwhollyunawareofmyown.Perhaps Descarteswasontosomethingwith“IthinkthereforeIam”.Doyouthink? Logically,youdo,butIwillneverknow.Asplitsecondinmyvicinityandyouhave becometheobjectofaparagraph.
Atfirst,Iwasn’tgoingtowriteaboutyou.Therewerefarmoreinteresting peoplewhocaughtmyeye.You,thepersonwhositsinthefrontandlooksthe sameaseveryoneelse,youweren’tevenonmymindinthebeginning.You,who wearsyourself-enforceduniformofleggingsandasweatshirteverydaywithout fail.MaybeinthesummeryouspiceitupwithaT-shirt.Butno,Iwasn’tgoingto writeaboutyou.Youweretooplain,unnoticedinyoursubsistence.Perhapsthat’s howyoupreferit.
IwasgoingtowriteaboutthequietgirlinmyEuroclasswhogetstalkativeif youtalktoherfirstbutrefusestoparticipateinclass,ormaybetheonethat participatesenoughforthebothofthem.Icould’veevengonewiththekidIseein thehallwayswithbrightlycoloredhairandheadphonesblastingmusicIcanhear fromtenfeetaway.IlookforwardtothedayIgetthemtohearacomplimentI givethemthroughtheircacophonyof90srockhits.
Butyou,youmadeyourwayintomymind.IwishIcouldsayit’sbecauseofa qualityofyoursthatstoodouttome,butitwastheopposite.Yourultimate conformitydrewmein.Conformityissomethingmanypeoplefinddifficultto breakoutof.Ithasanannoyingtendencytobecomeaparasiticbiteofinsecurity thatrotsawayyourinsidesuntilyoucouldn’tlooklikeanyoneelseanymore,even ifyoutried.Maybethat’sthecasewithyou.Ihearyourfriendstalkaboutyou whenyouleave,andmyheartaches.Ilookforwardtoseeingthedayyoudecide thatyou’veoutgrowntheboxothersinsimilarsituationsshovedyouin.Nodoubt you’vedonesomeshovingyourself,butIcan’tblameyou,youhadtosurvive.
Onedaymaybeyou’llshowuptomyEnglishclasswithabrightbluebobanda FuckYouT-Shirtandyou’llsitinthebackcornerinsteadofthefront.Maybeit’ll lookmorelikearainbowbraceletandthesamesweatshirt-and-leggingsduo you’vewornahundredtimes,butmaybethistimeyou’llwalkwithaconfidence thatastonishesthepeopleyoucallfriendsandgivesyouthegalltolookthemin theeyesandtellthemwhatyoureallythink.IjusthopeI’mthereforit.Iwishyou allthebestofluck.
Sincerely, AStranger.
I flushed my glasses down the toilet. Closing my eyes to the atrocities of humanity. Eyes shielded, reality fades away In the lens of ignorance, truth distorts. Palestine’s plight out of sight, I flushed my glasses down the toilet.
Let us retrieve clarity, confront the injustice.