I was white in the beginning
A hallow shell, a blank canvas
A vast emptiness waiting to be filled

At the core I’m red
Passion and hate and anger and love
Simmering one second, blazing the next

Pink comes rarely
A soft flirtation and blushing cheeks
The distant longing to be longed for

I’m orange at my best
A joy that surges up and swells out
It envelopes me in waves, pleasantly drowning me

In the quiet I’m yellow
Peacefully drifting on thoughts softened by memory
Eyes closed to chaos, mind clutching calm

I’m green on occasion
That twisting, traitorous, snarling jealousy
With a face of anger, a voice of hatred, and a shadow of fear

Blue is like dying
That endless sky without a star in sight
An abyss where life and love surrender to despair

I store my strength in violet
Deep and true--durable, unbreakable
Solid as gravity, keeping me tethered to hope

I have a gray anger
Like thick iron bars, like standing on a knife’s edge
With a drop on each side and no way to balance

There is solace in black
The neutral zone where my colors convene
The crossroads where my past sin meets my better self