Things That Make You Go "Hmmm"

Ever find something like a note or a photograph laying in the street, or in the drawer of an old dresser you buy? Today I discovered there is a whole site dedicated to that: www.foundmagazine.com . I was browsing these weird cryptic notes and old photographs on the site, wondering who the hell these people were, and more often that not what exactly was going on when the photo was taken or the note was written.

I mean, this stuff is really weird. It's like graffiti, only more directed. A note found hanging in a tree with a photo attached...the girl in the picture has her eyes poked out (holes in the photo, not the subject) with the words "You guys are LOSERS" written beneath her. Or how about the note found in the doorway of an apartment complex: "To whom it may concern: Who pulls your strings?" Or my personal favorite: An old torn memo on which is written "Hi, I had cyber sex with a guy named Eric. I love sex! I have a stick."

I have some experience in this area: When I was a kid, my older sister bought an acrylic paint set. Among the supplies in the previously unopened set (it was new) was a yellow sponge. Written on the sponge in black marker were the words "One more go". Ever since she showed me that damned sponge it was remained etched in the back of my mind. Who wrote that? Why? And what the hell does "One more go" mean? I can't even imagine.

Here's one that isn't quite as mind-boggling, but leaves many unanswered questions: One time in high school I found a crumpled-up note in a bathroom stall, which said "Fuck you Jason, I need a dick licker for a day". Now what does that mean? Who wrote it? Who is Jason? Did Jason ever see it? Did the writer leave it in the stall for Jason, or did Jason get it earlier and then discard it in the stall? Was Jason the dick licker in question? Did he try to interfere with the letter-writer's dick licking activity, leading to Jason being told off with a "fuck you"? And why does the writer only need a dick licker for a day? Did he rent one or something? Where does one rent dick lickers?

Old photos are the same way. Ever find an old photograph somewhere, like in a old box, where someone took a picture of a toilet or something? One of my most prized possessions is a black and white photograph of a chicken standing a field, with "Hammond Photo Service, Meridian Miss. Oct. 5 1942" printed on the back. I found that photo in a box with a bunch of old family photos. I often wonder which of my ancestors found it necessary to take a photograph of a damn chicken, but I cherish it as something of a window into my weird personality. A "tell", in the language of street hustlers. But I'm sure most people who are reading this have found stranger pictures. Feel free to share your pictures/notes, I'm genuinely curious.



Chicken McPhoto