H Y P N O T I C

It was October 21st, 1967.

Thousands of peacemakers marched the streets of D.C. to protest against the Vietnam War.

I, myself, was amongst the crowd. A 16-year-old boy at the time, with a camera in his hand.

It was hard not to become involved with the crowd, but every now and then, I would step back, and capture the beautiful contrast of guns and flowers.

The American National Guard stood in front of The Pentagon, whilst the crowd of protestors held peace signs with their hands.

“What were the guns for?”, I thought to myself. The protest was for peace, not for another war.

But I wasn't too concerned about politics at the time. I was too focused on the art surrounding the chaos.

And I wanted to capture every minute of it.

As I walked amongst the crowd, I noticed everyone had flowers sprinkled over their faces.

I also noticed each of the peacemakers was in a trance. I mean, psychedelics weren't uncommon at this time. But this seemed different...

It's as if they were hypnotized.

As I walked home that day, I heard a group of people walk towards me.

And before I knew it, one of the women gently held my hand.

As I looked into her eyes, it's as if everything else around me stopped, and I had total trust in her.

She gently let go of my hand and pulled out a small pouch from her bag. She looked deep into my eyes and started to decorate my face with crushed flowers that stuck onto my face with gentle glue.

The glue felt a bit cold, and something started to tingle on my face. But I didn't mind.

As she finished the artwork, she gently held my face with both hands, looked into my eyes, and said to me:

"We are the dreamers, the rebels, and the peacemakers of the world. These flowers on your face will provide you with the power you had within you all along..."

As she walked away, she turned around once more, and I never forgot the way she looked at me. It was as if she had captured the sun, and turned it into a smile.

That same night, I was so relaxed, I had completely forgotten to wash the flowers off my face.

As I woke up the next morning, I felt so refreshed, and at peace. As if I was reborn again. I can't compare it to anything I've felt before, but I sure wasn't complaining.

Soon after, I went into the kitchen to make breakfast, and I heard a knock on the door...

"Was it her??" I thought to myself.

I ran to the door with excitement, but to my disappointment, there was nobody there. But as I looked down, I did see a letter:

A few days later, a man on the radio announced that the protestors were once again taking over the streets of D.C.

"This was my chance to find her!" I thought to myself.

I quickly got dressed, opened my front door, and once again, there was something left outside my door. But this time, it was a pouch with a note:

"The flowers will inspire the power they have within" the note read.

Without thinking, I picked up the pouch, put it in my pocket, and made my way to D.C as fast as I could run.

I soon found myself amongst a crowd.

I looked everywhere for her, but she was nowhere in sight. So I decided to join the protest, hoping she would turn up.

I didn't have my camera with me, and for once, I wasn't an observer, I was a participant.

I completely immersed myself in the experience, and then...her words flew gracefully into my mind: "...these flowers I place onto your face will provide you with the power you had within you all along..."

And all of a sudden, I found myself, at the front of the crowd, face to face, with a soldier from the American National Guard.

He pointed a gun at my face as if to intimidate me.

So I looked deep into his eyes and said to him:

"You don't need this gun to assert your power. True power lies within you. There is power in kindness, peace, and harmony. And I hope these flowers, help you find your way...", as I painted his face, with the flowers from my pouch.

He gently put down his gun, turned around, and joined the crowd...

That night, I came home to another note in the front of my doorstep: