"Sketch a picture"
He suggests
"One with birds and
Trees and soft green grass"

"Lose yourself among your creations
As they carry you from this hell-hole"
A pack of paints exchanges hands
Accompanied by a brush of dark mahogany
And nylon bristles

"Paint the most desolate places
You know"

"Bring your art to the alleys
And to the cracked walls
And to the the train tracks"

"Brighten the day of a stranger
You may never meet"

A burnished bronze coin is help up with grimy fingers
But declined with a smile
As the artist makes his way
To the wall by the stream
Where he will paint her name
In stars