The Rainbow of Me

Fading Reds

I grew up light blue,

Mannered and mellow,

Quiet and studious,

I was quite the young fellow.

Yet school was boring,

So I became a class clown,

My peers would all laugh,

My teachers wore a frown.

Then sports came along,

And I discovered my red,

I played nasty and angry,

My opponents felt dread.

The redder I became,

Sports dissipated that heat,

My fury grew legendary,

And I was quick on my feet.

I carried that angst,

Through most of my life,

On the fields and courts,

And many fist fights.

Controlling this beast,

My stallion within,

Was impossible at best,

Hardly now and never back then.

As wrinkles creased my face,

My red began to fade,

Sure sometimes it simmered,

Yet my games had been played.

Changing colors in my evening,

Like those in the seasons,

I miss that seething red,

For many a reason.

Now just a memory,

Of my life as a youth,

My vulgar of violence,

Looking back was uncouth.

Truth to be told,

I’m turning back to light blue,

The color I was born with,

Had returned if on cue.

I don’t miss the red,

The anger or the heat,

Yet I do miss the days,

I was quick on my feet.