They said, “Don’t cross this line. Beware.”
“Fit into this box. Don’t dare to say what’s on your mind.”
Layer after layer of constraint
Painting the world in black and white
They sold lies as truth
Fed doubts and fear to undermine
The inner voice
“Beware.”
Every color packed away
Every nuance, hue, and shade
Carefully stored in cardboard boxes
Every thought set free against
An august sky
Defiance is a cloak I wear
A cape of brilliant patches
Woven in the darkest nights
Of moonbeam threads
Strings of melodies and
Yarn dyed
In vats of amber dreams
“Beware.”
Every sleeping color
Awakens with the dawn
The palette full of life will not be
Denied
The words flow in a torrent
The storms bring memories
And every thought set free to fly
Comes home to roost
In protective branches of
The ancient sepia tree
“Beware.”
The boxes are flung open
The colors call for an accounting
Every shade, nuance, and hue
Will be painted on the canvas of this life
Every letter sharpened
Every word is honed
In black and white
“I dare.”
