When a city is walkable, there’s always people. And when there are people, they’re always saying something. It’s the din and the noise and the hustle and the bustle that make you remember you’re part of something bigger, something more than yourself.
Being elbowed painfully in a crowd rushing to office or having the end of a high heel ram into your big toe can jolt you out of that reverie and cut you down to size too.
A city can be impersonal. A city can be lonely.
But sometimes, a voice reaches out from the crowd, a sign stands out that’s distinctive in some way. The distinction tells you there’s a person behind the words, a thinking mind somewhere, someone trying to talk, to imagine, to speak in a way that goes just a little bit beyond the utilitarian purpose of what the sign is meant for.
That’s the urban poet for me.
I spotted these signs walking around Toronto last week. They all stood out in some way.
bottledworder 
Wonderful!
“Constant work, constant writing and constant revision. The real writer learns nothing from life. He is more like an oyster or a sponge. What he takes in he takes in normally the way any person takes in experience. But it is what is done with it in his mind, if he is a real writer, that makes his art.”
The quote is from Gore Vidal, and obviously you are an artist! People see these things every day – you have put them in perspective. But, that’s what a writer does!
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That was a great quote and a wonderful comment. Perhaps way more than I deserve but thanks!
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These are fantastic!!! I’m exhausted and inarticulate now, but your first two posts on your homepage hooked me. Thanks again for commenting on my FP post.
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Hi Bottled Worder:
Thanks for visiting our blog and liking our “Go West, Nathaniel” post. I recognized your name immediately because I’d read your blog when you were recently freshly pressed — congratulations! Enjoyed your Toronto photos — great city! Had a wonderful time there years back — beautiful city, fun things to do, friendly people. As a native Chicagoan (now living in L.A.), I felt right at home in Toronto — the lake, the ambience, the spirit. Wishing you all the best.
Regards,
Silver
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Yes, great city! So’s Chicago and L.A.
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Wow, I love your writing in this. It gave me goosebumps! You really seemed to capture my exact thoughts when I’m in the city. You did a fantastic job.
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Thanks. That’s high praise!
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Toronto is one of my favourite places to take photos because the architecture is old and there is such a great cultural diversity. Great shots!
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Yes, it’s so multicultural.
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Never been to Toronto, but I’m not sure I want to go if it means getting a SPA burn! What is that (last image)?!
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No idea! Perhaps it’s about burning calories. . . 🙂
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I lived in Toronto for a few years, and your pics brought back memories. Thanks.
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Glad to hear that!
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Da Vintage Code is my favorite.
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🙂 🙂
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That was another excellent post today. Thanks so much for sharing. Keep up the fantastic job.
Enjoy writing?
Feel free to join our writing group – It’s worth getting into. They pay very well also.
Join Today – Writers Wanted
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HI, the crawling walls sticker and the Apostrophe one were my favorites.
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Glad you liked them.
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Love ’em… laughed out loud
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Da Vintage Code, priceless. Also the sticker, no wall-crawling or no spider-man, on the window had me laughing.
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Hey! You’re in Toronto which means you just passed me by…. I’m wondering what you’ll see on Gerrard Street.
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a poem as lovely as a ?
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orange
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thank you
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