Life in Color

The lilacs always catch me

by surprise.

Just when you think

you’ve figured out Spring,

and new beginnings have begun,

there go the lilacs --

their bright purple blossoms ask

“Have you really forgotten already --

How lucky you are

to be alive?”

They send me on a scavenger hunt

through my day --

I search for other colors like gems

hidden in plain sight.

Look! The neon flash

of a Baltimore Oriole streaks across the sky

(the first I’d ever seen).

And there! The rosy pink petals

of a cherry blossom tree dance with slippered feet

in the sweet breeze, calling forth my memories

as they whisper past my ear. And can you hear

the buzzing of a bee?

Who grows fat with pollen as he flits about,

engaged in a hunt I am far too big to understand.

I look upon my vast paleness,

from head to toe in taunt, milky hide --

and I realize my canvas,

unlike the outside,

is blank.

So I grab some lilac blossoms,

the feather of an oriole,

the rosy petals,

and the bees’ treasure,

and I smear each shade on my body

until I am a living,

beaming reminder

of how vibrant this life is in color --

and how much we have

to learn.