RED

red

red is what shows on the face of the smitten

the saddened

the abused

red is what flows from the wrists of the tormented

red like a pencil sharpener

like matches

like a screwdriver

red like brake lights

brake lights stopping a car like the bullet that stopped her heart

brightly glowing as slowly

they fade

red like the stain glass in the church windows of her funeral

red like her lipstick

like the color of her blood that flowed through her veins

that pulsed through her body

red is hurt

red is anger

red is fear

red is the emotion of pain

but red is also beautiful

red is painted across skylines and thrown into towns and cities at dawn

red like a canyon

like her bedspread

like stop lights

red like hair

like fire

red like the thread spun into her favorite jacket

aggressive

fierce

wild

red like hot coals of a campfire

red like sneakers

red like the sparks coming from the top of a firework

from red springs joy

laugher

love

love sometimes followed by pain

pain of betrayal

pain of a mistake

pain of one gone too soon

pain that burns into memory

memory that haunts

flashing in dark places like a lighter in a cave

haunted memories soon become treasured

treasured and then forgotten

like wallets

like car keys

like mechanical pencils

forgotten like her

forgotten like you

forgotten like me

and what importance do forgotten items hold?

and what is remembered?

we remember the most important parts of our lives

like the word used to describe the sun that rises every morning

or the shade of your loved ones face when they’re embarrassed

or the color of what comes rushing to the skin of a child’s scraped knee

red is remembered

to me she was red