Natural Hues

Heather Kline

The world is full of magnificent color.

The sun warms up the earth, illuminating the sky with

pinks, reds, oranges, and yellows

The moon cools everything off, painting the world dark,

letting shadows out to play

The ground saves our footprints,

marking where we’ve gone in brown indentations

with no intention of forgetting where we’ve gone.

But it does, as do we.

The trees change their mind, deciding when to be boastful and when not.

In the spring, they are pastel, adorning the woods with flowers

attracting bees and birds and bugs to their blossoms

In the summer, they are lime green, matching the luscious grass

creating a blank canvas for childhood memories

In the fall, they set the world on fire, leaves turning the color of flame,

drifting off branches, coating the ground in burgundy and brown

But in winter?

In winter, they become barren.

Branches reach towards the sky,

desperate to once again feel the sun.

Everything becomes dull,

a different shade on the spectrum of black and white.

This is when colorful people shine,

drawing others near with interesting hues.

The colors mix,

Swirling into one another at a rapid pace.

Sometimes forming a shade that only magnified their former brilliance.

Others are a failed experiment, creating colors that are

too bright,

too dull,

too wrong.

I’ve seen it happen to others.

Pearly smiles stretching wide as violet collides with yellow,

creating a field of blooming pansies,

Fragrance so strong the snow would melt,

thinking spring was already here.

Love is tricky like that.

But I am gray.

So I am alone.