Grafitti

There are more shades of grey in life than black and white, especially when it comes to love.

It started out as a blank canvas.

Innocent and ethereal.

Whitewashed and willing.

Primed in the womb of the watchtower.

A future wailing wall.

Sanctified and symmetrical.

Innocent and unstained.

Abstract and agnostic.

A prayer in pigment.

A holy street-temple.

Anointed and affixed with acrylic.

An unfinished work in the making.

Hanging in the balance.

Yet to be determined.

Screaming out for recognition.

Longing for rightful dominion.

A reminiscence of the first rodeo, roped in righteousness.

Shrouded by a curtain of religious expression.

Awaiting unveiling.

Desire trumps divinity.

A flagrant forked-tongue, forged in the foundry of fame.

Drooling like cool, morning dew on a window pane as the sun comes up.

Etched in eternity.

Scribbled and scrawled with sarcastic sins.

Bold and brazen brushstrokes spread with crooked, carnal colors.

Stained with the blood of survival and the will to stand out.

Juxtaposed and juvenescent.

Running.

Nowhere in particular.

Just running.

Like a thief in the night with a sadistic spray-can. 

A shrewd shrine marked with meaning.

A miraculous melodrama hanging in the manse of the Mafia.

A Machiavellian masterpiece in the museum of mankind.

Signed by a Renaissance master.

Laminated with latex and love.

Leaving its mark upon the world forever.

The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth in the court of carnivores.

Covering my graphic soul with  ...

... grafitti ...

Author's Note

"The great art of life is how to turn the surplus life of the soul into life for the body." - Thoreau

Reviews

[andrew mitchell]

Brilliant Pete just brilliant! This is just sudden impact. Love the wording so condensed, a rich write indeed with intense flavours. This is the classic scenario of its always greener over the other side of the fence, ie in this case your writes are very good in your part of the woods and I need a higher fence!

[Pete]

hey, thanks andrew. i appreciate your thoughts on this. hope all is well in your part of the world!

[andrew mitchell]

not to bad thanks pete, keep well too.

[Pete]

i'll be 'round for a read soon as i can. we just got hit by a bad storm. a nor' easter - heavy rain and strong winds wreaked havoc.

[andrew mitchell]

isn't the weather crazy at the moment, heavy snow in London, snow in Rome and Venice! Its crazy Pete!

[Pete]

we've had up and down temps. was 70 degrees the other day now 40. very strong winds. crazy for sure.

[Josie E. Cook M. A.]

"Bold and brazen brushstrokes spread with crooked, carnal colors."--love this line and the song!
"A shrewd shrine marked with meaning.
A Machiavellian masterpiece in the museum of mankind.
Signed by a Renaissance master.
Laminated with latex and love.
Covering my graphic soul with ...
... graffiti ..."--this says it all about the type of art it is and how it is brought about to us.
A layered and complex creation as in the work and the artist and it always about facing that blank area and making it yours as an artist.

[Pete]

yup!!!!! thanks for sharing thoughts josie. appreciated ... :)

[Josie E. Cook M. A.]

You are welcome!

[Ruth]

This is a well painted canvas :) The emotions drip through and over but more than that there is a starkness as well as a brimming scheme of colours to this piece...such innocence I ask myself...how does it get so stained and tainted over time...mindset or human nature? Hmmm...as always Pete, your words stir me :)

[Pete]

thank you dearest Poppy. you pose a formidable question that we all grapple with every day. blessings ... :)

[Alfred Kukitz]

tunneling into your mind, tunneling further and further until the gold begs to be eaten. i am nourished!

regards,
al

[Pete]

the paul simon song on his graceland album says that i can call you al. so thank you al! your deep thoughts on the matter are appreciated ...

[Kelly Scheppers]

Pete, you blew me away! My goodness, this IS a masterpiece in every essence of the word. Bravo, my patriot friend!

[Pete]

thanks Kelly. still trying to paint away my blues after pats superbowl loss! your kindness is appreciated. blessings ...

[barleygirl]

Whoa! Who woulda thought that graffiti could be the genesis for such a complex & multi-layered poem!?!?! I'm stunned at your word-crafting with alliteration & tons of sound-play, which stands out even more than your construction of meaning. I like the way your phrases sound a little staccato & scattered, not so much flowing & connected, reminding me of paint spilled here & there, inadvertently blending together. I especially love the way the first half describes the blank canvas while the second half describes the graffiti. Many poets start off with their intended message, instead of crafting careful consideration of the "pre-quell" (what happens BEFORE the main event). I love the way you set up the blank canvas before splashing it with meaning (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Pete]

muchas gracias barleygirl. you just colored my day with your spot-on observations. appreciated. blessings ... :)

[Lavi]

I loved this. Makes me remember the good old days when I would graffiti the streets to give them more life. I think graffiti is beautiful (most times anyway) kind of like an illegal expression of one's passion to love. Just as this was beautiful and a powerful write. The flow was also smooth and well-layered. Good work.

[Pete]

thank you Lavi. i appreciate you sharing how the piece stirred memories for you and the feelings it brought. it is appreciated ... :)

[fireangelpoet]

Wow, beautifully done, the sequence is just right, the form is incredible... May I say Bravo!

[Pete]

thank you so much for your encouraging comments fireangelpoet. peeked quickly at your profile - hope you are not too tired from Mardi Gras!

[fireangelpoet]

Haha, no I don't do the Mardi gras, I have a phobia of big crowds. And you're welcome!

[Cole Thomas]

Amazing piece, and the perfect song to go along with it. Loved your word choice.

[Pete]

thanks MainStream. appreciate your thoughts!

[Richard McLin]

Great imagery was created from this piece. A black and white picture in my mind was instantly colorized. Great job on a wondrous piece.
-Richard

[Pete]

thank you Richard. just put this up. appreciated!

[Richard McLin]

Of course.