Human Mood Ring

My hair is white

Like Gandalf white

In fact, "you shall not pass"

Drips from every stand

As I avoid eye contact from

Passers-by

My skin is pale

Punctuated with teeny, tiny

Flecks of brown

Freckles, little clusters that

Remind me that I lack

The beautiful, radiant dark glow

Of my Filipina mother

My heart is red

The brightest red

Like carmine red or scarlet

Vivid and stained into my chest

As a reminder of

That even in the darkness

Love will light your way

Or serve as a beacon

For others to bask in

...so much love to give...

My tummy is green and brown

And orange

Like the deep green of cilantro

And the muted orange of a modest

Block of cheese

And that is

Mostly because of

Tacos...so many tacos

My legs, alabaster

Thick pillars that serve

As the foundation of a woman

Who has lived, worked, bore children

Marched in solidarity and

Who has known the value of

Falling to her knees

And had the strength to get back up

My feet, the soles,

Black and dirty

By staying close to the earth

Digging in

Laying roots

Making the ground indistinguishable

From the heavens

My colors drip and mix

Collide and swirl

Like the surface of a small

Oil spill in a parking spot

Outside your favorite cafe

My colors identify me as an ally

A friend, a mother, a creator,

A lover, a warrior

...human...

My colors are bold and vibrant

And sometimes faint and faded

They change with the weather

They change with climate

Environmental, political or

Otherwise

However vivid or dull

Shiny and sparkly

Deep and robust

Washed by the rain

Or baked by the heat

I am content to be one of the many

Mood rings

Around the universe