The Collection of Color

THE COLLECTION OF COLOR you climb the green tree eat the dark bark catch a ride on the blue birds’ back and ride him all the way to the river. you drop into the black water, catch a blue gill’s fin dive down to the sun filled bottom where a sea horse carousal spins you into the bright rainbow of colors dark and darker than the mud you swallow. it is easy to enter the castle when the door is made of water and only turns to ice when you lay on your back and try to breathe. count the colors as they fade. one, two, three, four. now find the door. five, six, seven, eight. now shout the words it’s too late, too late, too late. the ice doesn’t crack and you can never go back to the town by the river where the colors flow like birds in the air. if you stay where you are you’ll be where you are and if you eat the dark bark and spread the green leaves you’ll see the pink sea and breathe the black air and nobody will care because you’ll go back down to the carousal town and count the colors of the flowers that wave hello to the ships up above all covered with mud. so sit down, enchant the town learn to breathe, don’t let them down. Copyrighted February 18, 2012 Jim Brewer