Coloring Together

Coloring Together

Grownups should color pictures

after days that

press down hard

and make them feel like grapes

must feel when their shapes

are changed to make

others happy…

Coloring inside the lines takes

practice and a smooth,

 even hand,

and it takes an eye

for color; when to use

bright, luminous shades

and when to go easy

and soft…

It’s a lot like loving, this

business of coloring,

choosing the tones of voice,

and running a careful

finger along the lips

of the woman you love

and noticing the way

the edges of her face

catch the light...

And hearing the softness of words,

which tint an innocent

sentence into a seduction.

Yes indeed, I think at the ends

of days we need to color

together, taking the banal

black and white pictures

in our heads

and bring them radiance

with red heat

and green life

and purple love.