My latest art show featured a 46-foot-tall re-creation of the World Trade Center and a letter that I wrote to Osama bin Laden. For the 10th anniversary, I wanted to share the text and images of the piece.
Dear Osama
You don’t know me but I sure as hell know who you are. My name is John William Codling. I grew up
in the bird section of Levittown, New York. I left Levittown after college to pursue my dreams because
I am a dreamer. I’ve never been handed a thing in life and everything I ever had or accomplished I had
to fight for. It saddened me to hear of your death as I wanted to be the person who shot you in the
head. I did an art show a few years back which was a bunch of portraits of an actor named Christopher
Walken. People always asked why Walken? I never told them the truth. I painted Walken because
he was part of an ongoing dream in my head of rolling in to your hide-out King of New York style for
a long torture party where you would be the guest of honor. I wanted to keep you there and call all
my friends’ families and let them stop by the party to beat the p–s out of you. I wanted to show you
how much pain your bulls–t ideals cause. I wanted to tell you about how you ruined some of the most
special memories in my life by killing all the people in them and rip your f—–g teeth out while I did it. I
have an uncanny knack for saying the things everyone in the room wants to say but never has the b—s.
It just so happens that now I have a big enough room. So here it is F— you. F—- you you miserable p-
–k. I hope you are rotting in some demented version of hell with 72 rats gnawing at your flesh. I hope
that everyone of your buddies who shares your view dies. Shame on you. Shame on my government
for taking 10 years to do a two week job. Hopefully cleaning up the rest of your mess won’t be another
ten year job.
P—–g on your grave
John William Codling