sometimes i can read it
sometimes the words are not shaped correctly
to fit inside my brain
with too many sharp edges and pointy parts
or balloon sized puffy curves
getting stuck in my mind's passageways
black smudges saying pushy words
on sidewalks
on brick walls
on signposts and stairwells
what are they saying
i'm here
look at me
i own this space not you
read my words i dare you
i'm here defacing your clean white walls
slashing at your rules and hiding in the dark
and some call it art
and some take a picture
one thousand words in a snapshot
on bathroom walls
or carved in metal doors
or stone
tagging on train cars rolling through town
screaming out heartache
obscenities slogans
paint over me i dare you
you can't wash me off
your inner eye
don't turn away
don't try
i am eternal
from the beginning of man
through millennia crying
for lost love for mayhem
for mischief or hate
crying out on the walls
chalk coal or spray paint


©
by Diane E. Dockum
March 28, 2023