Saffron Symphonies
Hushed cellos begin,
slowly holding the notes
to the strings;
violins surrender
to the labyrinth of no way out;
a symphony of stringed voices
all asking at once:
how do we exist with pain,
with loss?
So color me saffron,
the music and poetry
found in your yellow flame,
the fire in this poem
for you have captured me,
affected me in ways
I have no words to say.
Color me in your dark mahogany hair
and vanilla scent
cause I know I will forget you
everyday
for the rest of my life.
As I grope for understanding,
searching for you in this labyrinth,
your vanilla scent calls me, I follow
the laughter I hear,
the tenderness of your lips
in that Mona Lisa smile
and your promise of continuing.
All this,
little by little
fade into shadow.
Confused, I shout:
you can’t just make the world seem whole,
then leave;
you can’t just make me
want to be alive,
write poetry,
then
vanish
poof
gone!!
You accused me once:
“you don’t know who you love.
You love the girl who makes you laugh,
who drinks wine with you,
who showed you how to kiss.
But, you don’t love the crazy,
sullen bitch.”*
I countered: you never allowed me to;
cause I always wanted to know
all of you.
All the whys,
hows, whats, wheres, whens,
and now it’s the end.
Now,
you are nowhere
and I am colored in saffron,
burning in your yellow flame,
roaming this endless labyrinth**
listening to your symphony
and everything aches of missing you.
Aztec Warrior/redzone
(* Note: this is paraphrased quote from John Green’s novel,
“Looking for Alaska”… a novel I highly recommend reading
both for its story, as well as the philosophical and moral
questions it raises.)
(**Note: this is also part of John Green’s novel; a reference
to the labyrinth mentioned in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s,
“The General in His Labyrinth” and refers to Simon Bolivar’s
last words, “Damn it, how will I ever get out of this labyrinth.”
Another great book. Actually any book by Marquez is worth reading..)
