Brian Docherty
Exhibit
There was this whitewashed wall ....
It had clusters of head-height holes
at regular intervals. At first I thought
it was an art gallery, then I noticed
patches of sun and shadow on cobblestones.
Ah, I thought, public art, municipal art,
this is a civilised country after all,
where taxpayers flourish credit cards over
something domestic scale and affordable.
Look again, the whitewash is new,
dark splotches of something previous
showing through, not enough detail
for a mural, perhaps something in
the Jackson Pollock line, defaced or
censored by concerned local citizens.
Perhaps someone’s art got ruined,
and they need my cousin’s number,
he specialises in municipal lawsuits.
Have I ever seen this wall before?
No, I haven’t. (Of course I have,
I inspected this courtyard each Friday,
gave demonstrations with my father’s Mauser.
Morale and tradition march together.)
What happened behind the green door?
Did I give an after-dinner speech, Torture:
the most fun you can have in a uniform?
Everything Papa taught me clear in my head,
his voice guiding me now: Admit nothing.
Ignore the camera. Do not recognise this court.
I say this photograph is a forgery.
Page(s) 21
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