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                 MARTIN R. JOHNSON

             On the subject of Graffiti

As for me, who has read

all 1791 pages of

the Collins English Dictionary

three times, I can’t fathom one word

of the spray paint lingo

 

seen on tin fences through the windows

of railway carriages.

On pillars holding up bridges.

Walls of shops.

Alleys between homes.

Even on homes!

 

Clean it off and it comes back

in the lonely street light hours.

 

In the lonely street light hours

fingers take the tops off

spray paint cans …

 

Ssst.

Sssssssssst.

Ssst – sst – sst.

 

The wet paint flies through the air

and sticks. Sticks to our brains.

Our eyes.

Indecipherable. Language of the young.