by Travis Mateer

Here’s a poem for your Friday, along with more selections of mural art from my travels. These images are from Eureka, in Northern California.

artists reaching for the cool 
with Saturn rings and easy horns 
is it the market in your skull 
instead of you that I should scorn?

public funded paint on brick
mural language no one reads 
but as I roll through your towns 
I track how these fuckers feed

Billy Shakespeare by the clown 
see the trumpet Louis plays?
he’s not there to entertain you 
as you go about your days 

just a planet?  just a cube?
color choices no big deal?
that’s a dangerous attitude 
and disconnected from what’s real

which, I’ll tell you, isn’t much 
even what you think you hold 
solid matter is illusion
dancing between hot and cold 

red my breath is dragon heat 
blue I’m gliding through a pool 
me is me, I’m not Chinese 
but if you want, I’ll play the fool

archetypal puppet hand 
do not put your fingers there 
my circuit breaker isn’t working 
shocking jolts could harm and scare 

art that threatens is art that hopes 
beauty can find form again 
sad my pen is on the ropes 
Weldon Kees, where did you end?

You can support my work with Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF), or making a donation at my about page.

Thanks for reading!