Lately I have been coloring outside the lines,
My waxy elementary emotions bleeding into one another,
Like crayons with flat dull surfaces,
That threaten to divot inward,
Because my bitten fingernails are unable to tear back the paper that labels them,
Marking my simple feelings,
Red,
Red-Orange,
Orange,
Burnt Orange,
Maroon,
Scarlet,
Magenta,
And when I can get my nails just under the label,
Wrapped so tight that I am left with stained cuticles for days,
I am careful not to rip too fast,
Or too hard,
Because I want to know what color it is,
That makes me feel this way,
Green,
Blue,
Aquamarine,
Midnight Blue,
Cerulean,
Sky Blue,
Turquoise,
And the smell of raw emotion newly revealed,
Simple and childlike,
Waft up from the flat tips of Crayola’s,
That I am coloring my life with,
Little scraps of waxy paper litter,
Mix in the sea of colors,
Purple,
Plum,
Violet Blue,
Pink Flamingo,
Salmon,
Apricot,
Peach,
Determined to color in the lines,
I use the new found edges excitedly,
Filling my love in with accuracy,
My sadness with depth,
Anger, disappointment and despair,
With no bleeding into my happiness,
Copper,
Mahogany,
Sepia,
Umber,
Brown,
Gray,
Black.
