Ai

Black lines tarred with a careful brush
Drawn in an artist’s hand: looping, twirling, dipping
Dark ink dancing to make a difference
Undefined rigidness, carefree calligraphy
A map of a heart, still pulsing
Framed with midnight bamboo upon a soft white moon
For only $10, she gave me a word

For a time, it hung on my wall
Hand-drawn whispers, waiting
Until it fell, breaking like the city sucked into a typhoon’s breath
Shattering, forgotten beneath the bubbling waves
Destruction, riding on an unstoppable tide
But hope rose with the same solid certainty
Gluing together buildings
Stitching broken walls into hearts
Etching new smiles on weathered faces

The right word can rebuild a broken home
Save a broken city
Heal a broken world
For only $10, she gave me that word