This older man moved my skirt aside and I absent-mindedly said “oh sorry” for being partially in his seat and he said “dont be sorry, this is new york” and then showed me all his poetry about observing the world and living as a restaurant worker during the pandemic and we talked about how i worked in a grocery store and as a bartender so i resonated with his work and he told me “i may never meet you again but it’s nice to meet someone worth talking to. I might sound like a world class idiot sage, but you can’t be afraid. That’s no way to live. You have to trust your humanity.” Then he shook my hand and got off the stop before me. Hello. Hello . Hello.
It drives me insane how many people dont realise how often they break the law and that if the full force of it was ever applied life would basically be unliveable. Like between traffic violations, petty workplace theft, account sharing and piracy alongside how common it is to have been in posession of some illegal drug at some point in your life. People still manage to get away with thinking “criminals” are people who commit crimes not just populations that are surveilled enough to be routinely prosecuted
blows up a random stranger with a rocket launcher for no reason then falls to the ground weeping histrionically & receives the tender attention & support of everyone present
