POETRY
      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.