John Lennon's Wall

I'm ending my segment on Prague with the Lennon Wall because I found it to be oddly profound, and I can't stop thinking about it.  I remember very well the day John Lennon was shot in front of the Dakota where he lived in New York City.  It was December 8, 1980.  I was a young woman working in a law office in San Francisco.  Everyone stopped working when the news poured in over the radio.  We cried.  We hugged each other. We shook our heads in disbelief.   The attorneys sent us all home.  We weren't the only ones paralyzed with grief.  The world soon realized just how much this great musician meant to them.

Now imagine a young man in Prague writing the lyrics to one of Lennon's songs on this wall.  Imagine a police officer painting over it the next morning.  Now imagine the young man returning with two other friends the next night.  Imagine that same officer having to paint over it again.  Now imagine five people at 3 AM painting the wall with bright yellow hearts and words of inspiration.  Freedom.  Love.  Imagine that police officer standing in front of it, sighing, wishing he didn't have to paint over the beautiful words.  This continued night after night after night. To the people of Prague, this wall became not only a memorial to John Lennon but a symbol of hope--that freedom would once again be theirs.  Nine years later, it finally came.  A wall in Berlin came tumbling down.  This one remained.

Imagine by John Lennon

Imagine there's no heaven

It's easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today , , ,

Imagine there's no countries

It isn't hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace . . .