Grafitti
June 2020. Richmond, Virginia.
My friend studies graffiti
From Roman ruins
I once heard her speak on the things
We learn from words arrested by time
When ash rained down and paused life
Before it could be curated into
Narrative sanitized to serve power
And I look at the statue
In the center of the road
That runs directly into my house
And I wonder what historians
Would make of it
Were we to be unearthed after burial
By a rain of sudden ash today
What would they say
Of the exaltation of wars lost
The cries of pain
And liberation
Coexisting on that marble
What will history say
Of the part I played
When it came in teargas plumes
Up the road to my door
Did I answer, or peer between the blinds
Afraid. Till time moved on
As if walls will save us
When they dissect the remains of this moment
Hold this crossroads where
History meets the urgency
Of tonight and live-streamed sudden storms
How will they interpret this story
Urgent scribblings of righteous anger
Expletives and prayers
People denied a voice
Too long, too late
Till at last
Fire falls
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