Across the street from my office is Union Station. I frequently go there to get coffee, lunch, and trains home. This morning I needed a second cup of joe to fuel my engines, so I went over around 10:00am. As I walked into the building, I passed a rather unkempt and dirty man standing around—none too uncommon at Union Station. What caught my eye and stuck in my head was his t-shirt. [sidebar: I’ve never understood what to take away from seeing someone wearing clothing with catchy phrases or ads or brand marks. Are they saying, “Look at me, I buy cool clothes,” or, “This phrase/product/brand resonates with my self-conception,” or, “I’m precisely the sort of person whom this product targets; no need to read into me any further,” or, “I wear stuff without much regard to what’s on it, and this shirt was cheap/free/a gift/found on the street,” or something else entirely? Dunno…] This guy’s shirt was royal blue (where it wasn’t dark with dirt) and featured bold white letters on the front: H O B O. Well. No confusion here.

Upon exiting the Station to return to work, I was presented with quite a spectacle. A gentleman (I use the term loosely) wearing a red t-shirt emblazoned with scriptural references was holding up a picket-type sign, hung on a cross, that informed me: It’s not enough to be good! You must be born again! Read the Bible (John 3)! He was also passing out small squares of paper. On one side, it simply said, “Jesus.” On the other were biblical references, presumably verses that would lead the reader to the same spiritual enlightenment this gentleman enjoys. I was possessed of an urge to make my own sign and picket right next to him. I think mine would say simply: Read Voltaire! I would also pass out excerpts from the Philosophical Dictionary. Oh, to have some posterboard…

NP: Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, Face Like Summer