It is a tribute to American ingenuity that they stay stuck to the wall, and that alone counts for something.

It had a very symbolic weight: frail, flyaway, impermanent, staying right here.

It reminds me of people writing their wishes and sticking them in the cracks of sacred places, but bolder, because they are not hiding what they have to say, but leaving their hearts open for anyone to read.

I think that's why I keep referring to it as a shrine. It's a set of messages from the community to itself, but it also feels like a kind of collective prayer. I hope enough people are inspired by it to act that the prayer works.