Red
It was all red
The beautiful little dress with lace
The one that mama made me wear
Her stolen bindi on my face
Red
The color of youth, of love, of beauty, and care.
Red
It was all red
The roses in the small backyard
Where my brother and I used to play
Rudolph's nose on the Christmas card
Red
The color of lights, of water balloons, and Santa's sleigh.
Red
It was all red
The drops of blood in my underwear
The shame that I was taught to feel
The monthly pain I had to bear
Red
The color which now I couldn't reveal.
Red
It was all red
The clinking glasses of cabernet
And his cheeks as he took my hand
The color of my lips on Valentine's day
Red
The color of disapproval and a love that was damned.
Red
It was all red
The garland he put around my neck
And the fire that sealed my fate
My mother's embrace and my father's peck
Red
The color of weddings, of henna, and a strange new mate.
Red
It was all red
The stains I couldn't give the sheets
The proof a man's love demands
The anger and hatred that would never cease
Red
The color of character as this world understands.
Red
It was all red
The pain and the blood all worth the wait
Of the new life that suckled at my breast
A love so pure and free of hate
Red
The color of protection and a mother's nest.
Red
It was all red
The life that now begins to wane
The death that takes my red away
Which brings me both relief and pain
Red
The color that they made me need, the color that now they snatch away.
White
It is all white now
My life that I let others define
The choices that I could not make
The blame is no one else's but mine
White
The color of a life wasted away, full of regrets and bitter heartache.