I feel I captured a strong feeling with this poem—at least, a strong feeling that I had as I wrote it. In that sense, writing this particular poem was an act of hope…

So often the heart in love is portrayed as blood red
that’s where passion lies, they say
My heart beats on the periphery of silence
a steady presence biding its time

Love means something different to everyone
not just in color, but in temperature and touch
and the feelings that linger

I experience love as a burnt-sienna singe
a deeply hued, grain-like rust on brushed metal
shimmering quietly under a dim gold light

Come mix your colors with mine
see what hues we may create together
in this light that surrounds us

The product of that will be our love
belonging to no one else, nowhere else
for as long as we can sustain it

Permanence is a promise we make
Our colors will last as long as our promise
feelings deep below the surface

to be discovered in layers over time

(25 October 2015)