color holds
so much.
I think of red
and I think of friends with
sensitivities
to the color,
I think of being alone,
I think of stop lights
illuminating dark nights,
I think of a desire for ache.
I think of orange
and I think of strange,
I think of unfamiliar
and bright,
something that doesn't shine
but instead washes over you.
I think of yellow
and I think of the color that
stripes roads
and fills crosswalk signs,
I think of positivity,
I think of my childhood,
the color taking a comfortable shape
in my young mind.
I think of green
and I think of everything humans
try and fail
to protect,
I think of looking through florida windows
and walking to school
in the mornings,
I think of dangerous, unknown beauty.
I think of blue
and I think of shadows,
of melancholy,
I think about what allowed me to recognize
the complexity
of color.
I think of purple
and I think of dense
and broken,
I think of abusive family,
I think of uncomfortable.
I think of beige
and I think of young, broken bones,
I think of button up shirts
and vanilla ice cream that
burns your teeth
and boys who say things
that go against
what I stand for,
I think of hotel bedsheets
and grandparents' houses
and the smell
and sight
and feeling
of old.
