As has been widely publicized in 2005 year-end wrap-ups, Borf’s reign as master tagger is over. Late last month, he was charged with a felony, fined, and forbidden to enter the District, with the exception of attending classes at the Corcoran. Despite my Borf fatigue, I miss him.

John Tsombikos–Borf–certainly wasn’t a unifying figure. In wallpapering D.C. with his etchings, he seemed to provoke love or loathing among people who were paying attention.

Those who viewed his work as destructive are relieved that he finally got his comeuppance. After all, he damaged property, he should pay the price. In addition, many who condemned his work embrace the “broken windows theory”, believing that his work encouraged more serious crime: something D.C.—among the least safe of US cities—can hardly afford.

Few have recognized the driving motivation behind Borf, the nickname of Tsombikos’ close friend who committed suicide in the fall of 2003. Perhaps as a means to expunge grief and survivor’s guilt, Tsombikos graduated from high school a year early and set to work tagging nearly a hundred spots around town. That his tags were alternately entertaining, irreverent, whimsical, or dark showed the work of a creative kid whose outlook on life and, ultimately, whose future, has been radically shaped by what had started as his response to a tragedy over which he had no control.