I wondered if people would look at anything.

So I took Nothing, its inverse, and I put it high on a pedestal.

I made half-hearted signs, no photos, please, and I waited. And they came, hordes: wandering, stuffed, eager to gobble more– not beauty, but what then?

They pointed cameras at Nothing, and snapped snapped snapped.

They threw peace signs and held ice cream cones and aimed cell phones at their faces, with Nothing lit up behind them.

They gazed at these pictures, admiring their faces: stoic or charming or coy. They saved pictures of Nothing, for they had seen Nothing, they had captured Nothing, and they walked away, shuffling sandals on pavement, forgetting and satisfied. 

Note: seeing as how I am living in a high-profile, heavily-touristed area for the first time in my life, I figured it might be interesting to approach tourists with a writer’s eye. There is certainly no shortage of people to watch. Fueled by Lonely Planet’s doubt of Cannes’ ability to retain a soul amidst its “celebrity playground” status, I wonder if writing consistently on this topic will lead me to any new insights. The goal is to produce 10-15 pieces on the subject.