Wishes
by Jon Cotner and Claire Hamilton
Tenzin
“No wish — I just wake up, eat, work, run, sleep.”
Questions tend to be tied to circumstances. Someone asks “Would you please pass the guacamole?” if guacamole sits nearby. Now is the time of year when reverie (the soul’s guacamole) is palpable and fresh, so we hit the streets of New York with a single question: “What’s your holiday wish?”
Mallory & Brooke
Mallory: “To get a job.”
Catrina (far right) & her family
“I want to stay a kid.”
Sam
“I like ‘To stay a kid.’ But with common sense.”
Keith, Richard & Brandon
Richard: “World peace.”
Coco
“Another bone.” (conveyed by her owner)
Elisa
“I haven’t even thought about the holidays yet.”
Eddie
“I need money; I’m broke.”
Alex
“Vacation.”
Josie
“A grandchild.”
Peter & Paula
Peter: “To have the best honeymoon.”
Trish
“I’m hoping for quality time with my family — which business doesn’t always allow.”
Joe
“I want everyone with me on December 25th, kids and grandkids.”
Oksana & Sasha
Sasha: “To win a lawsuit against the NYC Parks Commission. They keep harassing us.”
Carrie & Verdie
Carrie: “Romance.”
Heath & Conor
Conor: “I want to have a baby.”
Kevin & Darilin
Darilin: “I hope Santa brings me a teddy bear and a laptop.”
Mike
“I wish everybody could eat great dinners on Christmas night.”
Mahmoud
“To go back to Egypt.”
Ala, Alexis & Adrian
Adrian: “To get U.S. papers.”
Peggy & Arbi
Arbi: “We don’t believe in holiday wishes.”
Kim & Ann
Ann: “This hat/scarf — harf?”
Phil & Summer
Summer: “I want a boyfriend.”
Phil: “I want a girlfriend, of course.”
Boris
“I wish for you two to stay together forever.”
Jon Cotner and Claire Hamilton have made other slideshows based on walks through Fire Island and Art Basel Miami. Jon is the author, with Andy Fitch, of Ten Walks/Two Talks, which was chosen as a Best Book of 2010 by The Week, The Millions, Time Out Chicago, and Bookslut.