HYENA JO

HYENA JO WAS HERE
    written and illustrated by
    Elizabeth O. Dulemba
    Copyright © 2005

Hyena Jo wanted to be a Graffiti Artist,
but he had no walls to write on.

One day he had a brilliant idea.

While the Rhinoceros snoozed,
Hyena Jo got sneaky and painted
his first piece. He was happy,
but the Rhinoceros wasn't.
"Ugh!"

The Zebras didn't
know what to make
of their new look.
"I kinda like it,"
"What do
you think?"
"I dunno."

The Warthogs gave

Hyena Jo his first

favorable review.

"This looks SO cool!"

The Ostriches
didn't think so. Hyena Jo
didn't write on them, but
they complained anyway.
"It's vandalism!
He's a nuisance,"
they squawked.
"Somebody stop him!"

Hyena Jo ignored the Ostriches and
wrote on the wide open plain. His new
tag was so big, only birds could see
see the whole piece. Unfortunately,
that included the Vultures.

"KAW, KAW, KAW," the Vultures said.
"We'll put a stop to this!"
They scooped up Hyena Jo and brought
him before the Cape Buffalos.

"Don't do it again," the
Cape Buffalos warned him,
"or you'll be in big trouble."
Hyena Jo couldn't stop writing.
It was like asking him not
to breath.

The Vultures sneered,
"We're watching you."

Everybody talked about the Cape

Buffalos' warning, especially

Hyena Jo's fans. They ignored

the Vultures circling overhead

and gave him permission to write.

The Lion asked for a tag

to impress the Lionesses.

It worked. They knew he got the

tag to support Hyena Jo.

They told the Elephant, she

wanted a tag too.

The Elephant was as large

as a subway car.

"Your big, wide side is

excellent to write on,"

Hyena Jo said.

"Thanks alot!" the Elephant

trumpeted. She didn't

appreciate the comparison,

but she adored her new tag.

She showed off to the Giraffes

who asked for one too.

"I wish you could go
higher with it though,"
the Giraffes said.

Hyena Jo rolled his eyes.
"Everybody's a critic."

The Baboons watched Hyena Jo

grow more and more popular.

"Big deal," they said. "We can do that."

They were terrible.

"Not the Baboons too!"
The Ostriches complained louder,
"SQUAWK, SQUAWK, SQUAWK!"

The Vultures scooped up
Hyena Jo again. This time they
brought him before the Crocodile.
"Hyena Jo started this whole mess,"
they kawed.

The animals gathered to
argue Hyena Jo's case.
The Ostriches squawked, "He's a nuisance!"
"He's an A-a-artist," the Lion roared.
The Rhino said, "He's a vandal!"
"We gave him permission to write on us,"
the Giraffe and the Elephant said.

"Quiet!" the Crocodile shouted.
"Hyena Jo, you can write if you have
permission, but if you don't, I'll
take care of you personally," he
snapped his jaws.

After that, so many animals
gave Hyena Jo permission,
he never ran out of places
to write.

One day, a Baboon asked
Hyena Jo, "Will you teach
me how to be a graffiti
artist too?"

	Elizabeth O. Dulemba PO Box 564 / 340 Woodland Trail Epworth, GA 30541 706-632-0365 elizabeth@dulemba.com http://dulemba.com 298 words GRAFFIT ART - ESSAY By Elizabeth O. Dulemba Structures in Ancient Rome were covered with markings called “graffiti.” The term came from the Greek word “graphein,” which means “to write.” Modern day graffiti artists call themselves “writers.” Today’s understanding of graffiti art began in the 1970s, originating on subway cars in New York. It is created with spray paint and can be found on train carriages, abandoned buildings, and urban areas all over the country. Graffiti art is not the same thing as gang graffiti. Graffiti art is created by an artist or crew (a group of artists) solely for art’s sake. Gang graffiti is used to mark territory, or communicate with members, and usually has no artistic value. Most cities approach any graffiti as a nuisance and paint over it, making graffiti art a temporary art form. The goal of most graffiti artists is to have their work seen and enjoyed by the public, so they take photographs of their work which they either keep in a black book or post online. It is currently illegal for writers to tag (or write on) surfaces without permission. Some cities offer legal walls to graffiti artists, but space is limited. In the graffiti community, the ultimate insult is to write over someone else’s work. Therefore, graffiti artists often end up writing in illegal locations. If caught, they can face fines or even jail time. Graffiti artists are known only by their nicknames, so can be hard to find when someone wants to hire them for legal work. Many graffiti artists do have legal outlets such as skateboard art, mural painting, and tattooing. Graffiti art is surrounded by controversy. Many claim it damages property and is a nuisance to society, while others believe it is a serious art form and should be appreciated. What do you think? end