balloons

No Ball Games — Banksy — photo by author, taken at a Paris exhibition, November 2022 — Banksy claims no copyright on his art

took my poet’s pride to the devil’s den sold my soul to write with his silver pen and all I wrote was harsh and dark

took my poet’s fears to the hermit’s cell where I lost touch with the world as such and all I wrote was selfish and dark

took my poet’s savings to the rich man’s bank but he said his vaults were not for rhymes and worthless words of selfish love and darkest death

took my writing to the streets and tossed the sheets into the playful breeze and the children laughed and said we like the one that says

balloons