Found: A Collection
by B.C.

i have a *tendency* to pick up
dropped,
lost,
random
scraps of paper.
and then usually hang them on my wall.

i remember once i found this web-site called
'found magazine'
or something like that
that had scans of things similar to this.
and i loved it.

and then one day, in one of my used text books, i found a receipt:

Planet Smoothie
Birmingham, AL
$3.56

i was fascinated that the person who had my book before me
at one time was in Alabama buying a friggin' smoothie.
plus that i know the exact time and date that it happened
(maybe that's a bit creepy, i'm not sure).
but thus started my obsession with collecting all lost scraps of paper i could.

i have a note passed between two girls in my U.S. History class.
the girl writing the note wanted to know what the other girl got on the recent exam.
the girl replying got an A.
the girl writing the note got a C.
i didn't see them writing it but i found it as i left.

i have a card of "kyle" from the game "Guess Who?"
that i found when i stumbled out of a bar a bit tipsy.

i have a few grocery lists.
who buys pig's feet?
gross.

i have a completely black polaroid which i love
and i sure annoyed somebody and this is why
i found it on the ground.

at a sculpture park a few hours from here
i found a little green dinosaur.
he's sun-faded on one side but
i still love him.

a handful of "KEEP THIS COUPON"
ticket stubs.

along with found things, i tend to obsess over keeping
anything anyone gives to me.
my wall is filled with tiny notes, etc that friends have given me.

-a homemade invitation for tea and cheese.
-signatures from band members of a show i couldn't attend (all of the signatures tell me how much i suck for missing the show).
-a MVP card from food lion. my friend gave it to me since i played a good game of kickball.
-a wrapper from an ice cream cone from an ice cream social. it reads "good taste". it immediately went on the head of my bed. *wink*
-cute crayon drawings while waiting for dinner at restaurants.

i've been doing this for about two years now and i seriously love it.
i guess it could be deemed "pack-ratting" if you will.
but the biggest problem this stuff causes is when i move to a different
room and have it take it all off of my walls.
I guess (not bragging) this is more of a healthy obsession,
if there is such a thing.
i have all of these memories,
mine and other people's,
everywhere.

i just hope they don't mind.


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