lamppost cloaked in black

lamppost cloaked in black --

screaming red, pink, green burst forth,

clamoring to be seen

Like an archeologist's pick, the ravages of time have chipped away the surface layer of an urban artifact, uncovering its history and simultaneously creating brilliant abstract art. On Main Street in the tiny Midwestern town of Eldon, Iowa, a lamppost is being stripped of its staid black exterior, revealing exotic under layers, like an embroidered scarlet petticoat peeping out from under a Victorian woman's prim black dress.