in my pocket
This week I went to a talk session. A local designer and architect were having a public discussion about what is normal. Space was limited and I wasn’t entirely sure of the location, so I ended up struggling to find the entrance to the room where it was being held.
In my haste, I parked my bike between a building and a reserved parking space. I knew it wasn’t the best location, and Japan being Japan, that it was technically a faux pas, but I was in a hurry and after judging that it wouldn’t interfere with a person parking his/her car there, meaning that my bike was not at risk of getting hit, I decided why not, and locked my bike up in that space.
Two-and-a-half hours later, after the talk was finished, I went to get my bike and go home, only to find it in a different location with a note taped to it.
I expected to find a warning from the police, or a polite request from the building manager asking me not to park my bike in that area, but what I found was a very rude note saying the equivalent of Don't fucking park your bike here. It’s in my godamned way!
Needless to say, the tone irritated me, so what I did was follow my initial reaction and tape the note to the car that was parked in the space near where I had left my bike.
I know, it’s juvenile, and I shouldn’t have done it. And if the note had been written nicely, I wouldn’t have done it. But since it had such an assholish type of tone to it, it awoke the asshole in me.
While I kind of enjoy thinking about the type of person who would take the time to get paper, tape, and a marker and write a note like that to a first time offender, only to find the note stuck to his/her car the next morning, I find the whole experience more of a reminder to be polite and conscientious even when being wronged or imposed upon.
How about all of you? What would you have done in this situation?
watching the news
on the wall of our cave
a to-do list
from last year
the air rumbles outside
how did we get here
all the passing lights
an evening bokeh
calling me to attention
the cry of a gull
on the side of the house
my wife screams
wisteria over here
lilacs over there
Greetings @boxcarblue ,
Oh..so true...it is a gut reaction to be sure...What did Plato say?...Life's greatest accomplishment...to overcome self. Could it take a lifetime or sometimes you do and sometimes you don't....perhaps the latter if we work on it. ^__^
What would have I done in that situ? Checked my bicycle to see if it was okay...afterall the person had to have been quite cross to have like you said gotten paper, pen and tape to write a note. And then ask myself why the situ upset the person...and then who knows what I would have done....hopefully given it a good think whilst having a cuppa.
Enjoyed the prose/poetry/photography....just lovely!
Cheers!
I know that if I find myself in that situation again, I’ll just put the note in my pocket and go home. There’s no point in adding to the continuation of the cycle of negativity.
I was close to doing that this time too, but I just happened to be passing the passenger side window of the car when I was putting the note in my pocket and suddenly I had a change of heart.
I wonder why. Maybe the person who wrote it needed a reminder to lighten up. 😬
Thank you for your kind reply.
Thank you for reminding bleujay of the words...'Lighten Up'...I had to smile!
Cheers!
I think I would have been irritated as well. I like to think that I would have thrown the note in the trash. A younger me might have taped the note to the car AND keyed the door, I'm embarrassed to say. Poem #2 hit home with me. Where does the time go?
Ohh … keying the door. That definitely didn’t cross my mind. Honestly, in the moment, I found it to be a very lighthearted and playful way to maybe irritate the person a little more than he/she already was. But halfway home I started to worry about whether the tape would somehow have an effect on the car’s finished and that made me feel bad. I can’t imagine that scotch tape would damage a car’s paint in any way, but you never know.
This is very true!
This was inspired by Plato’s famous allegory about people spending their whole lives looking at their shadows on a cave wall and mistaking them for real life and the real world.
We do tend to confuse the menu for the meal. :)
I always think that the person that does things like the note you received are very unhappy and have sad lives. I then try to feel sorry for them. LOL.... but I'm not saying I wouldn't do the same with the note. I hope that was the offender's car. 😂
I enjoyed your poems.
Thanks.
I’m pretty sure that it was the offender’s car. Not positive, but pretty sure. In hindsight, I wish I hadn’t done it, but in the moment, it seemed like a very lighthearted way to prank and irritate someone. It wasn’t until later that I began to worry that the single piece of tape might somehow do damage to the car’s paint.
Hopefully, it didn’t.
You've received an upvote from the Blockchain Poets account. Thank you for submitting your poem to our community!
People like that piss me off, you aren't in NYC!
I liked the poem, just too bad that there are people like that no matter where you go on this planet....
People have bad days, big egos, and shitty attitudes wherever you go. What can you do about it?
It's definitely haiku (1), as it reminds me of Bob Proctor's teachings, which eventually derive from Plato and Co. Your note story is funny. A hidden camera would have made the whole scenario entertaining. I guess I would have thrown the note in the closest bin, but then again, that's why I suggested the hidden camera ;)
I like Bob Proctor. I went through a big Bob Proctor phase a few years back. I never bought any of his books, but I watched every video of his that I could.
The closest bin at the time was my pocket or the car. I started to put the note in my pocket, but the mischievous asshole inside of my woke up and stuck it on the car instead. In hindsight, it’s definitely not something I’m proud of.
Im just glad to know we dont have the market cornered on mean people. Of course here, I would have bet on flat tires along with the note!
I think its funny how you gave it back to him!
Flat tires would have sucked. If that had been the case, I might have returned that favor too. 😬