This looks a lot cooler on Word; I have it in Courier New so it actually kind of looks like a telegram...but I'm too technologically challenged to figure out how to do that when posting online!
STOP
in the name of peace, the name of life,
the interest of ending world hunger and poverty and war,
clean air and water,
higher wages, better working conditions, equality
and all that crap
STOP
for that woman you love,
that guy you hate,
that snotty kid who annoys you,
that irascible old man whom you annoy,
that dog that just ran out in front of your car,
that spider whose web you just destroyed,
that mouse caught in your trap,
that person gazing at you from the wrong side of the bathroom mirror
STOP
drinking, smoking, getting high, losing your mind, forgetting yourself,
blowing up at everyone who means something to you just because you’ve got issues,
cutting, sleeping, thinking of running away, getting wasted,
insulting that cashier at the grocery store
because her scanner broke and kept you waiting at the register for half an hour
STOP
passing yourself off as someone you’re not,
following the crowd just because it’s easy,
telling yourself you failed because you were born a second-rate loser
and there’s nothing you can do about it
STOP
just to look at the stars, to take a walk on the beach,
to hold someone’s hand,
to blow bubbles, to laugh, to remember,
to see a play, to read a novel, to hear a poem,
to solve an algebra problem,
to learn guitar, to apologize, just
STOP for a second,
and quit worrying about the cross-traffic,
the people without red lights or stop signs,
rushing through life
as if whoever finishes it first wins a cash prize
instead of a funeral,
just STOP
and let me tell you how great you are already,
how much better you could be
if you just took the time
to
STOP
