on 183rd
Deadbeatniks Graffiti By Joel Friese
on 183rd
on 183rd with a dozen spray paint cans:
blues of all moods, an orange and pink,
a mean type of brown (it’s a bit like red ink)
he announced a band, from a time long ago
when rebels rejected old middle class views
when jazz was exciting (only politics made the news)
he drew a motif on cold urban bricks
to soften the hardness of the dullest of greys
and brighten up anxiety, driven, sad mournful days
no one had noticed (it’s another city wall)
the metropolean sounds blocked out the sights
thus, his artwork just faded into a lonely black night
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Here’s another “One Stop Poetry Challenges.” This time I’m writing in response to the graffiti art page:
http://onestoppoetry.com/2011/06/one-stop-poetry-the-arts-and-graffitiiogg.html
Also posted on:
Poetry Jam – the sound of music •♪•♫•♪•
Also posted on:
Write2Day: Music and the Written Word
Posted on June 8, 2011, in One Stop Poetry, Poetry and tagged artwork, blues, bricks, city, graffiti, greys, jazz, motif, paint, poetry, politics, sounds, spray, urban. Bookmark the permalink. 22 Comments.
Verification wastes my time, and often doesn't work. I am going to stop commenting on pages that require verification one of these days.
ZONGRIK 
great poem! really brings the graffiti in the photo to life.
Thanks. I grew up in NYC and saw this all the time. To me, graffiti was a big part of life.
Reminds me of Harlem and Jazz. Great poem!
Good call. I grew up in Washington Heights, which is just north or Harlem. The title of the pick is Dead Beatnicks, which made me think of the sixties and the Beatnicks who sat around listening to jazz. Harlem would have been the best place in NYC to hear jazz. 🙂 Thanks for your comment.
My fave spot to hear jazz is still in Harlem…St. Nick’s up on Sugar Hill. It;s a long way up from 9th St but always well worth it.
no one noticed…that says much about our society right there…nice write
Yes, in NYC you hardly notice graffiti, whether it’s art or not.
We miss things everyday. Our poems will fade away into blogland, too. Illuminating darkness but for a brief time.
make syou feel like your there,the smell of paint,smog,and sound.
I’m surprised you didn’t say anything about the Jazz…that is that you could feel the jazz rhythm. 😦
“But jazz is`nt dead it just smells funny” it`s in my heart so sometimes i don`t notice.
The graffiti image is as mesmerizing as your poem …….. good jazz has the same effect on me!
You have painted a vivid picture of the grafitti being drowned out by the lovely Jazz music. Reminds me of New Orleans.
I like this reflection on forgotten graffiti announcing a band. I suppose it refers to NYC but then it could be any city. (Just don’t think of most cities having numbered streets as high as 183rd.)
nice…this has a great beat to it…love some street art too…hey i been here before…smiles.
The fate of most forms of art…thankfully a few remain.
i remember that One Stop Poetry Prompt. {smile}
so sad to think of his art fading into night, unnoticed.
thank you for playing at the Poetry Jam. this is FABulous!
♥
beautiful.
artwork just faded into lonely black night
Such a “bluesy” line.
Excellent poem – I like a great deal of graffiti – Paris is full of it.
This is great. So glad you linked it to my prompt, Bat-Ami. I attended a docent symposium a few years ago in Phoenix and one of the workshops was on working with at-risk kids to channel their energies into positive creative outlets. This is a good example of that.
What’s particularly great, is that some graffiti artists have become renowned for their art…I think that’s cool. A great snippet of that life on the streets of NY…and I’m sure a lot of others too.