graffiti

I see ugly graffiti everywhere.
All kinds of places
Even the most beautiful of bridges and buildings
the sunset reflecting on the flowing water current of the Arno
The light getting trapped in the deep impressions made by ball point pen in ancient wood

Also, i see bright colors for bold graffiti
two dull residences left over from the communist era, two nearly identical beige greys,
side by side, connected by long unwieldy letters in spray-paint (one can's worth)
from what I can make out it's a badly paraphrased quotation from Karl Marx
(who, by the way, had then been paraphrasing someone else).

History will come back to haunt you. You will laugh and you will cry... Plant seeds now. Anarchy.

Grafitti tries to improve ugly modern surfaces too.

This morning I saw you carefully removing someone's balloon initials off the side of your cigarette kiosk.
The damp morning mist clung to the ground like obese smoke.
Your cold damp rag was balled up in your circling hand producing squeak after arrhythmic squeak.
I watched minute after stopped second.

You carefully cleaned the camel's graceful yellow legs.
Then you erased the paint from its belly and hump with deep tenderness and weariness.

I haven't tried smoking since I first tried smoking.
Besides, advertisements don't work on me!

Yet a seed cannot be unplanted without soiling one’s hands.
My mouth craves tobacco right now...
...But would you turn around and notice me if I asked you for a pack?
Would it bother you if I asked where I could buy a can of spray paint or perhaps just a package of ballpoint pens?

-irma 12jan2019