Green

Green

Green is my favorite color

It has always been that way

I remember being in the forest

Trying to count the different shades one day.

But there were far too many;

I stopped at forty-four

Before realizing that there are

At least a thousand more.

Knowing that my own home

like an old, forgotten and faded barn,

Will be reclaimed by nature in its most primal form.

Returning to green long after I’m gone.

Still, my heart yearns to imitate

To capture and recreate

The colors of the birds that fly overhead

Imprints on my memory to be later set

Verdant with splashes of reds, browns, and blues.

like wildflowers scattered in a field

Or the mix of people in a stadium

Standing and cheering in an explosion of color.

We each display our colors

In our homes and on our clothes

The shade of the skin on our bodies

And the paint on the walls in our home

Together, we span every single shade

Universally shifting hues to

Complete the impossible rainbow

With millions of beautiful colors.

A pot of gold, for each to enrich the soul

Earned and owned by every individual

As a badge of honor and pride

For all that is real and true.

Mary O’Connor, 2021