Love Padlocks and why they must go
A subject weighs on my heart. It's been under lock and key for so long and must be released. I am of course writing about all the romantic souls of the world who have chosen to give each other shout outs via the act of placing pad locks celebrating their relationships on the bridge at Pont Des Arts. You've seen them by now. You must have. It has become more than a phenomenon. The grills of this bridge have been inundated with padlocks of all shapes and sizes celebrating relationships from all over the world. I get it. It is the upscale equivalent of carving "Johnny loves Wendy" on the bus stop with your pen knife. Only you are doing it on million dollar priceless real estate.
Lovers of the world. Do you not know that eventually the mayor's office of Paris will have no choice but to send some romantic ball buster at three in the morning to cut all these padlocks off? It has to be the case sooner or later. There are only so many locks this bridge can hold. I for one, would not want to be the decider of this. Eventually, when there is no room for any more padlocks, city intervention or not, some anti valentine's will visit the bridge of their own accord and with a pair of wire cutters and make room. It may be a jealous soul mourning a relationship gone wrong. Or it may be someone simply seeking a little more space on this crowded place. He will then proceed to place his own lock there. It may read: Marie loves Jean. He will sneak away, thinking that he has done his duty for love. But in doing so, he has forced another young couple out of their prestigious spot.
How many dreams will be destroyed in this manner? Do you not realize sr that this is more than a padlock? This is a sacred bond stronger than metal? Why is your relationship more important than the padlock that was there before? Why is Marie loves Jean more important than Ricky loves Sue? Or Mohammed loves Fatyma? It is not.
Therefore I humbly ask that no one be made the arbiter of this. And that is why the placing of padlocks must stop. As lovely as they are, as a gesture, as a bond. The first couple who marked their devotion in this way, really had a romantic thing going. To place a padlock on the Pont Des Arts bridge, writing a line or two about your history was certainly a novel idea the first time. But now it has gone too far. The bridge looks like a cheap motel now. And there are too many lovers left in the world. Too many people who have not travelled to Paris and are probably buying padlocks right now. It's the Parisian equivalent of the "selfie". Now that I have said that I bet I have ruined it for you, oh lovers of the world.
Therefore I suggest the following spots for strapping your locks:
The fence around your house (at least you know no one's going to mess with it)
The public Kennel cages for stray dogs (pets can admire your love)
The fence at your nearest military base (your lock can read as half romantic/ half protest
The fence surrounding the bull statue on Wall Street (for those looking wanting to be romantic but still looking out for number one)
The fence around your nearest shopping center (do you see the marketing tie ins?)
The fence around your school where you first kissed (students of the present can take note of your love)
The fence around the hospital room where you had your first baby or your first appendectomy)
The grill in your parking garage (if you love your car just as much)
I think you are getting the ideas here. There are plenty of places for your locks beside the most romantic place in the world. Now go out and find them, lovers of the universe. Don't be such show offs.
Think of all the single tourists to Paris who must look at the testimony to your love every time they just want to have a good look at the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Lock that love up some place else!
A subject weighs on my heart. It's been under lock and key for so long and must be released. I am of course writing about all the romantic souls of the world who have chosen to give each other shout outs via the act of placing pad locks celebrating their relationships on the bridge at Pont Des Arts. You've seen them by now. You must have. It has become more than a phenomenon. The grills of this bridge have been inundated with padlocks of all shapes and sizes celebrating relationships from all over the world. I get it. It is the upscale equivalent of carving "Johnny loves Wendy" on the bus stop with your pen knife. Only you are doing it on million dollar priceless real estate.
Lovers of the world. Do you not know that eventually the mayor's office of Paris will have no choice but to send some romantic ball buster at three in the morning to cut all these padlocks off? It has to be the case sooner or later. There are only so many locks this bridge can hold. I for one, would not want to be the decider of this. Eventually, when there is no room for any more padlocks, city intervention or not, some anti valentine's will visit the bridge of their own accord and with a pair of wire cutters and make room. It may be a jealous soul mourning a relationship gone wrong. Or it may be someone simply seeking a little more space on this crowded place. He will then proceed to place his own lock there. It may read: Marie loves Jean. He will sneak away, thinking that he has done his duty for love. But in doing so, he has forced another young couple out of their prestigious spot.
How many dreams will be destroyed in this manner? Do you not realize sr that this is more than a padlock? This is a sacred bond stronger than metal? Why is your relationship more important than the padlock that was there before? Why is Marie loves Jean more important than Ricky loves Sue? Or Mohammed loves Fatyma? It is not.
Therefore I humbly ask that no one be made the arbiter of this. And that is why the placing of padlocks must stop. As lovely as they are, as a gesture, as a bond. The first couple who marked their devotion in this way, really had a romantic thing going. To place a padlock on the Pont Des Arts bridge, writing a line or two about your history was certainly a novel idea the first time. But now it has gone too far. The bridge looks like a cheap motel now. And there are too many lovers left in the world. Too many people who have not travelled to Paris and are probably buying padlocks right now. It's the Parisian equivalent of the "selfie". Now that I have said that I bet I have ruined it for you, oh lovers of the world.
Therefore I suggest the following spots for strapping your locks:
The fence around your house (at least you know no one's going to mess with it)
The public Kennel cages for stray dogs (pets can admire your love)
The fence at your nearest military base (your lock can read as half romantic/ half protest
The fence surrounding the bull statue on Wall Street (for those looking wanting to be romantic but still looking out for number one)
The fence around your nearest shopping center (do you see the marketing tie ins?)
The fence around your school where you first kissed (students of the present can take note of your love)
The fence around the hospital room where you had your first baby or your first appendectomy)
The grill in your parking garage (if you love your car just as much)
I think you are getting the ideas here. There are plenty of places for your locks beside the most romantic place in the world. Now go out and find them, lovers of the universe. Don't be such show offs.
Think of all the single tourists to Paris who must look at the testimony to your love every time they just want to have a good look at the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Lock that love up some place else!
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