Graffiti Angel


Like at tomcat
he pisses with spray paint
to mark his territory.

A concrete call of the wild
rages from cigarette burnt lungs.

“We are the world”……
Shit….come sit under
a smog incrusted moon
and tell me about the future.

I’ll throw an F – bomb
into your good intentions….

I was born craving
a crack pipe pacifier
in my manger under a bridge.

If hell has walls, I’ll find
an empty spot for my initials.

“We are the children….
We are the ones who make a brighter day”

Damn, my stomach is growling.
Yesterday the soup kitchen served
boiled promises……
The government has cut food for the poor.

A black van drives by tossing out spray cans….
He and other street kids gather…..

Tires screech as it pulls away…..
The driver sets the coordinates on his GPS….
He calls it in…Yes sir, the enemy is at 125th and Main.
You can send in the drone….code name… Angel of Death.


Susie Clevenger 2013

My graffiti poem isn't sweet...I live in Houston and have worked with kids over the years. There's a lot of anger out there. Unfortunately kids are being thrown away every day. This whole business with drones has me uneasy. I threw in what I hope is only science fiction into the mix. God help us if we don't work quickly to make a better world for our children.

Anna Montgomery prompted us to write graffiti poetry over at dVerse Poets Pub

Comments

Grace said…
Vivid and gritty as my stomach growls for the street's emptiness ~ The soup kitchen served boiled promises, is also another powerful hit ~ Fantastic write dear ~
Brian Miller said…
if hell has walls i will find a place for my initials...dang...its def a hard life for some...scary turn in this too...like 1984....the drones are crazy...you know there are cities already using them in TX and WA....
This may sound irreverent and possibly offensive to some, but I can't help thinking we need a new bible to help us cope with all this.In spray paint?
Mindless always wins these days.
Anonymous said…
Hi Susie -- absolutely share your concern and worry though I imagine you have tons more experience and first hand knowledge. Yes, it's a grim poem. It is terrible when kids are so angry and turned-off before they even get started - really difficult. Thanks for the poem. k.
Claudia said…
oh heck...this is scary stuff...they should rather try to help them to hunt them down.. tight verse susie
hyperCRYPTICal said…
A angry poem depicting the harsh realities of those children who exist (hidden) on the peripheries of life - as we all busy ourselves with our day-to-day living, unknowing...

Drones bother me too - especially as it appears their use is active in the UK for surveillance purposes...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jan/23/cctv-sky-police-plan-drones

Anna :o]
JayG said…
"If hell has walls, I'll find an empty spot for my initials."

I like that. Also the science fiction reference at the end. Could happen...
Abruvanamedsly said…
Like a tomcat
he pisses with spray paint
to mark his territory...


...strong lines...the picture you paint of drone use is real.
Sherry Blue Sky said…
Fantastically well written, Susie. Yes, drones - who thought up that nightmare? You took me right inside the hopelessness of the street kids. Love the "smog encrusted walls" and "tell me about the future".
Mark Butkus said…
Usually I get hung up on one line...one turn of a phrase in a poem. But this poem hits a home run each and every line. And the messaging behind it is also powerful.

Cheers,

Mark Butkus
Anonymous said…
Strong and shocking form first line to last - awesome writing and a chilling vision of a not-too-hard to imagine future.
Kathy Reed said…
we ought not turn away or sweep them under the rug...they are out there as we speak......and painfully so..felt poem...
vivinfrance said…
A very uncomfortable poem, but I think that was your intention. That is what most graffiti does: it shakes up our complacency.
Disturbing - and so it should be.
Unknown said…
Gorgeous visual and a hard hitting look at the streets and what may too soon enter our reality. Great work.
jane hewey said…
powerful write, Susie. thank you.
Unknown said…
strong write susie, love how you kicked this off so powerfully, great opening stanza, really fuels the piece from there. Enjoyed. thanks
Unknown said…
Your image is amazing. Love the layered effect. Your poem disturbs on may fronts... throwaway children, drones, tattered social safety nets. You lift the veil on these issues, Susie.

http://www.kimnelsonwrites.com/2013/02/22/it-is-written-vehicles-of-the-word/
Ben Ditty said…
Much needed harshness. The children won't benefit without our honesty and courage for change.
Susie Swanson said…
This is a very moving poem and I'm with you all the way.. It's a harsh world out there for all of them..
Anonymous said…
i like pisses with spray, but then there's all kind of throwing (pissing is a form a throwing) going on in this poem. great theme!!