WORDS ON WYLIE 2025
RSVP HERE:
ticketsource.us/cabbagetown
2024 Poets are archived here.
Some may appear virtually, or have their work presented via pre-recorded media. New poets will be introduced at our public performance. 2025 Applications are available here: POET REGISTRATION
01 VEAL / MARIACHI
02 MIKE / SHAHEED
03 GIBSON / TURBO & WEBB
04 MCNEIL / PRIESTESS
05 FROST / TR3
06 RAZ / ABSTRACT
07 SANITHNA / BEARFOOTX
08 MORRISON / XAVIER
09 PAULOS / DOT O
Saturday, February 15th in Cabbagetown Hall - Live readings, interactive poems, ekphrasis & haiku contest. Join us as we reveal these poems and more, inspired by the “Forward, Warrior!!” murals of Wylie Street. 10+ poets have shared their experience and inspiration. RSVP: ticketsource.us/cabbagetown
Sneak Preview: the first poem, “The Well” by Victor Mariachi, is presented here in its entirety. Each composition is preceded by a prose description for those unable to see or visit the mural, followed by art about art, including an audio reading of the piece. All poems will be fully revealed at the Reading on 2/15/2025!
01 Chris Veal, “DRES tha Beatnik”
Description: A portrait of local spoken word artist and MC, DRES tha Beatnik, in black and white, with a large red circle behind his head. The bearded and smiling DRES is pointing at his signature hat. In the foreground, a Zippo light casts a large flame.
“The Well”
by Victor Mariachi
Old Atlanta..
The stories untold
Before highly gross
It was a bold Atlanta
Never sold it’s soul Atlanta
Staples that still hold Atlanta
shook everybody to its core
The world wanted more Atlanta
Pour Atlanta, Poor Atlanta
Provocative with consciousness
Metropolis of polar opposites
Consequence of Knocking hits
Carrying the culture on our shoulders..
Now we are bolder
Pushing the envelope thru a vortex…
ATLast the ATLas of the Future OutKasts
Feeling at home following the Hat
02 GREG MIKE, “ATL”
Description: Large colorful letters A-T-L personified with cartoon eyes and features. The letter A is blue, wearing a yellow bowler hat, and it has one friendly cyclops eye and a large smling mouth with white teeth. Its speech bubble has the symbol of a heart, half red and half blue. The letter T is green with puppy dog eyes and a shiny nose. The letter L has three vertical eyes with matching noses that recal Spongebob, and a drooping tongue (also with a face on it). The letter L is exclaiming happily. There is a pink gradient sunset background with white clouds, and in the foreground some scruffy green grass. It is signed in all caps, GREG MIKE.
03 Nick Turbo Benson / Liz Webb, “Old Possum & the Gang”
Mural Description: A crow sits high above a big beautiful moon, mouth open in a cry. The owl perches right below to hear, a frog sitting atop him peacefully with a small instrument. A possum plays an oversized banjo while the raccoon sits beside him, moonshine jug in hand. From within a jar, lightning bugs further illuminate the magical bogs below where more enchanting swamp creatures play underneath the large moon; another frog playing strings from upon a lily pad, an alligator with a cricket serenading from within his sharp mouth, a turtle playing a hallow shell. A skull with a sprout growing out of the eye socket peers out from within the animals - a symbol of the cycle of life and death.
Cassie Gibson, “The Creatures”
When the owl relays the three cries of the crow
The creatures of the bog hear their signal and know
To pull out the washboard and bring their banjo
To the mystical music of the swamps below
…to be continued…
[full poem will be revealed at the live event]
04 Linda McNeil, “Diana”
Description: A leaping woman with a bow and arrow, framed in a diamond surrounded by laurels. Above her, images of the moon and stars. At her feet, a loyal dog.
“Just Be”
by Priestess
When I was a little girl
I thought like one
talked like one
and taught like one.
…to be continued…
[full poem will be revealed at the live event]
05 Nate Frost, “Cardinal”
Mural Description: This is an acrylic painting of a red & black cardinal flying vertical with the perspective seeming like it's almost dangling from a string above 5 or so vertical branches of a tree with the tops chopped liked they were sawed horizontally, all on a black background.
“Higher I Fly”
by T.R.3
Chopped down the family tree so I could fly.
These wings still dripping from the blood my black skin couldn't guard no more.
…to be continued…
[full poem will be revealed at the live event]
06 Raz City, “Tropical Queen”
Mural Description: Woman dressed in white tank top and sunglasses with an Afro made of tropical leaves, featuring exotic flowers, birds, mammals, a tiger, frog and a volcano.
”So Much More”
by Abstract C.I.M
She’s fly as a bird
with candy apple red lips.
She’s fierce as fire.
She lives freely
…to be continued…
[full poem will be revealed at the live event]
07 Frank Morrison, “I am the Future”
Description: This is a picture of a young Black school aged girl drawing and writing the words “I am the Future” on a chalkboard in a classroom
Coley Xavier, “I am the Future”
The most beautiful thing about a young mind isn’t that it’s moldable,
The most beautiful thing about a young mind is that it sees no limitations.
…to be continued…
[full poem will be revealed at the live event]
08 Sanithna, “Skull”
Description: A dirty white and gritty skull mixed in with the colors of Cyan background yellow shapes and black lines making a chaotic but poetic painting
“Skull”
by Bearfootx
colors clashing in the past that’s how you was created
a nation so creative built off love and hatred
united in grief can we unite in relief
at least unite to cease?
…to be continued…
[full poem will be revealed at the live event]
09 Melanie Paulos, “House”
Description: Imagine a house floating in a baby blue sky
Not built with bricks
But solid colors
You can only see the left side and the back side
The left side is red
The back side is blue
The roof is yellow
Out of the roof a mannequin type head emerges
The neck is brownish
The head is yellow the right cheek and eye has a lighter blue color
Right eye is blue
Left eye is red
Out of the roof a blue hand appears grabbing and holding by the wrist a red hand flinders free to grab a thread like substance that is trying leave from the home
There is another orange hand out of the lower left side of the red portion of the house
And one more yellow free hand outside of the house floating on its own
All three hands are holding within their fingers a thread like substance almost looks like lengths of hair
As if they are jumping rope with the hair.
“Free Security”
by Dot O
Confined to a home in the middle of space
Floating on a spinning rock no breaks
…to be continued…
[full poem will be revealed at the live event]
Resources for the Visually Impaired
These older videos were created as prototypes for educators and participating poets. The closed-caption text, and mural descriptions can be enjoyed by a variety of persons, whether ones enjoys looking, listening, learning, or sharing. How do you talk about visual art? Let’s take a journey into meaning, symbols, and universal themes.
Words on Wylie was created by John Dirga
Special Thanks to Sylvia Passiflora & Alex Franco for early samples
Acknowledgements to Charity Hamidullah, Sean Fahie, Brad Baker, & Greg Bishop for initial public engagement
2024 Poems curated and produced by Dot O
Forward Warrior Murals curated by Peter Ferrari
WOW! Interested in participating?
Fall 2025 Submissions open June 7th
email friends@cabbagetown.com
cabbagetown initiative, forward warrior 2023, all rights reserved
all poems & murals unaffiliated & created independently