* * *

And, there are those who write graffiti simply because it's a chance to share a witty idea.

"Jumbo shrimp--what a concept."

"Why is there air? It's a conversation starter."

"The masochist says, 'Kill me!' The sadist says, 'No!'"

"A day without opposition to anarchy is like a day without antidisestablishmentarianism."

"Harvard men are hunks!"

"You are either 1) kidding 2) a man"

"Question authority!"

"Why?"

"Tony Meyers is the brown shoes on the Great Tuxedo of life."

* * *

Despite the ceaseless efforts of cleaning crews to keep surfaces clean, the writing consistently reappears on carrel walls and bathroom stalls. The wooden desks in Lamont are scored with gouges, although the ink has been washed away. One such etching offered the following message, a testimony to the inevitable end of even the most lovingly inscribed graffiti:

"I write to you on the eve of May 25th, the last day of finals. Lamont is quiet, deserted. Only a few stragglers like me remain, weary from studying. The building, too, softly bids farewell to the last of the irritated but understanding friends. Goodbye, Fair Harvard. The day will come when even this message will be rubbed away, but God knows, you are in the forever. I'll miss you. 5/24/85."