That is the first picture I ever took with a cellphone. My ancient, brick-like Nokia, survivor of two runs through a washing machine, had finally died, and I was still getting used to a handheld device that did anything more than take phone calls.
Muttering as I navigated the strange new features, I saw the above scrawled into the powerbox of an abandoned building. There is no lack of graffiti on the streets of Asheville — some brilliant, most of it terrible.
But this struck me. This was not one of the usual tags. There was a calligraphy to it, just a touch of style to enhance the words.
It's gone now, painted over as the same building is slowly renovated. I've switched devices several times since, and the first thing I do is set this picture as the background. It is a rebuke to the old, frenzied shouts of "no future!" Something is growing, always.
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