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