Thursday, July 4, 2013

A Poem for July

Well, it finally happened. The first of the month came and went and I completely forgot about Poem of the Month. Finally, on July 4, I woke up and remembered that I owe you one. Happy Independence Day! Love, Lisa


The Healing Properties of Color

Once in a blue moon,
you’ll find yourself in the black

having one of those
screaming red letter days,

fire engine red wagon red
cherry red days

and not a scarlet letter
in the house. Sometimes,

it becomes so dizzying
you’ll turn a bit green

(whether from nausea
or envy, I really can’t say).

On grey days like these,
carefully sort through

the dark clouds, unthread
their silver linings

eat a peach, peel an orange,
scan the yellow pages.

Look over every white
picket fence, listen for the hum

of white noise. Wait
for Mary’s violet eyes

to make John stay up
nights proposing. Then,

when all that happens,
it feels like the end

of something has settled
right there in your solar plexus

and you become the pot of gold
everyone is looking for.

Lisa Vihos