colors

red is the color of blood
of lacerations of the flesh
self-inflicted
the color of amusement parks
and tricycles
red is the color of my heart which beats life
of fire which destroys the same

blue is the color of tears
of asphyxiation
with a smile
the color of cotton candy
and collared polos
blue is the color of the river which runs
and the ocean which sinks

yellow is the color of a newborn child
of jaundiced old men
drowning in home-brew
the color of fireworks
and Easter gowns
yellow is the color of the sun which shines
and the moon which mocks it

white is the color of carnations
of a child's smile
fading in time
the color of wedding dresses
and vanilla ice cream
white is the color of all colors, of light
and the color of pale skin when all light fades

black, black is not a color
it is the absence I am writing with
shedding darkness of this bright leaf
black is all that I love
all that I wish to see
so I scribble and write
to cover this leaf with a new color
the color of a poem unwritten
the color of an infant song
the color of undying belief
of ignorance knowing its wrong
give me the color forth
from the darkness of my ink
with poetic alchemy
I scribble
I draw
I write
to rid this leaf of the color of light