Hope

My city is covered with graffiti
but this time it’s different.
No vandals here, no obscene messages,
only kaleidoscopes of colour.

Magical creatures crawl and climb;
static butterflies appear to flutter.
A beaming sun blazes
from a backdrop of crumbling walls,
chimney pots and drainpipes,
skeletons of ruined roofs.

Up on a high rise
there’s a sunflower set against a sea of blue.

My city is bedecked with colour.
All through the twisting lanes,
hands have drawn pictures,
doodles, posters, dogs and cats.

Damaged walls are camouflaged,
hit by bursts of joy and freedom.
They breathe out hope,
and they will not disappear.