Colors

 

Warm colors
The color of flesh
From pale white to near black
Pearl, blush, tawny, olive, cocoa
What a resplendent ocean of color!
They shimmer harmoniously
upon the waves of prosperity and hope.
They move independently,
each with its own seminal language,
yet with the ability
to function as one-
the human machinery-
insurmountable,
exquisitely formed,
opalescent,
unremitting,
ALIVE!
No one part any less important
than another.
Each well-oiled with the blood
of their fore fathers and mothers
wearing the badges of
sacrifice and injustice,
courage and dignity.
Each with their own uniqueness,
well-crafted and intricately made,
brought together under the banner of
Democracy,
unified by freedom and liberty,
with an intractable will
and mutual respect,
formidable yet compassionate.
The lady with the torch still beckons,
draped in technicolored robes
straddling amber fields
and murky waters,
weapons of mass unification
hidden under her tattered skirts
that threaten to overcome.
The torch waits to be relit.
“Come and find solace here!”
she declares.
From pale white to near black.
Warm colors.
The colors of flesh.
The colors of America.

The Sunflower

 

Small pools of water dot the wood floor
Yellow petals swim in the pools
And ‘sun’ themselves on the polished oak
The long thick stems are far too rough
For the small hands determined to hold them


Mutilated, the fuzzy brown face of the sunflower
And its bright, yellow petals are strong temptations
They whisper to the child,
"Touch me! Hold me!”
Yet behind that gentle façade
Are sharp, stiff, green leaves
That poke and tear at delicate, young flesh
A sudden, heart-felt cry
Reverberates through the house
And down corridors of a young mother’s mind
Body in motion, she quickly learns to fly


An upturned vase lay on its side
Dripping its contents onto the floor
Three feet beyond sits a very wet, diapered child
Snot running down her nose;
Yellow petals sticking to her body



~ ~


Yellow petals that framed
A soft, fuzzy brown face
Atop a tall, proud stalk-
Just one in a sea of yellow, brown, and green
Standing valiantly, following the sun


From the moment she rises
To the second she sets
Their faces follow her
Never leaving her
Sacrificing their all for her
For love of her
Or because of it

Enough

Am I enough?

When you look at me what do you see?

Am I young enough?  Pretty enough?

Smart enough?  Rich enough? 

When you look at me do you see 

 The glow of youth long surrendered?

The shadows of childish endeavors?

Or do you see the battle scars;

The crevasses of time I wear on my face; my body? 

When you listen to me do you hear

The intelligence of my mind?

The wisdom and compassion of my years?

Or do you hear something different-

Unlike your mind, your thoughts?

Do you hear what you expect to hear?

Do you hear me at all?

When you speak to me do you

Speak with your whole heart?

With respect?  Equality?  Authenticity of being?

When you speak to me do you speak to me

As if I were important?

Or do you speak above me?  Down to me?  At me?

When you experience me do you 

Feel good about you? 

Do you feel safe?  Encouraged?  Valued?

Do I show you respect?  Compassion?  Love?

Though I may sometimes fall short 

I will always value you

And should you sometimes forget

Or get busy with living

I will forgive you as I forget too.

But never forget:

WE ARE ENOUGH