I was amused to find printouts from the “missed connections” craigslist personal ads used as a backdrop for flower arrangements in my neighborhood:

But when you think about it, “missed connections” is just right for this city.

If you’re unaware of this particular subsection to the craigslist personals, it’s a place where you can leave a note for the person you saw on the subway, or in the bar, or who was at the same party you attended but who left before you could introduce yourself, or get a name or number, or what have you. I guess it’s pretty self-explanatory.

Many are pretty crude, but some of them are a kind of found poem:

Mars Bar last Tuesday evening - m4w (East Village) Reply to: [redacted] Date: 2007-02-08, 12:10PM EST Irish girl living in Crown Heights. Gave me a heartfelt kiss on the forehead before leaving. Why did you have to leave so fast?

The New York version, at least, is perfect for the city, because we’re surrounded by people all day and yet rarely talk to one another. Of course, I prefer it that way, I rarely if ever would want to talk to someone on the subway myself. But it means that people are very relunctant, sometimes scared, to say hello.

Then, back in the safety of their apartments, they decide to make an attempt at a connection, so they post a virtual note on craigslist, knowing that the chance of getting a reply has to be nearly nil.

So it was kind of funny, maybe a little backwards, to see these little virtual notes about real experiences show up in a real place in my neighborhood.