by Elise Chen
Protect us
from frigid rain
bitter hail
and an unforgiving sun
That beats
on
In our turbulent
weather
The rain continues
It beats
mercilessly upon those without
shelter
I grab my umbrella
take a stroll
to the cafe
As a small child
I took shelter
from storms
Packs of crayons
in my hand
Look at the pretty
colors
White
perfectly sharpened
in mint condition
$5.00
sold separately
Black, Brown, Tan
sold in a box of nine
for cheap
Only $1.99
Natural colors
but the divide
unnatural
All essential
for the bigger picture
The same oil and wax
Why do we pay for one
and not the other?
for one but not
the other?
take a stroll to the cafe
where the lovely couples
croissants and coffee
all perfectly matched
But the man
who wanted two lattes
instead
of a cold brew
and a muffin
was refused service
Denied the privilege
to eat what he liked
But I didn’t see
anything wrong
with his taste
In a park
with my friend
who is getting ready to move cities
I ask what
the town’s like
But before
I can open
my mouth
she asks
What do you think
Is the best color?
I say
All colors
are essential
This won’t do
Everyone
In this town
loves red
You are not welcome
If you do not love
red
There is
no more room
in our palette
for blue
green
yellow
orange
only
Red
Colors,
Coffees,
Favorite hues,
Parkside strolls,
It’s so simple
But the wars that spark
are more complex
than they seem
Instead
Let us make
A utopia
For all categories
Cafes and bakeries
Paint shops and crafts
Video games and computers
A safe place
To be yourself
Come under
My umbrella
And pass the paintshop
pick your colors
One per person
So buy blue
And share
with others
Create a palette
with your neighbors
of all the colors
in the rainbow
So you can make
A masterpiece
And if the wind
tears a hole
through our shelter
bring your needles and thread
and let’s stitch together
the fabric
of our umbrella
Shield each other
in rain
Or shine
From the merciless sun
In the west
To the relentless
Tempest
In the east
Together
Our umbrella
will protect everyone
from any hurricane
thrown our way