Mar 2017
Anxiety is red
Red like biting the inside of your mouth so hard that blood spills out onto your tongue and you can taste it on your lips
Red like that lip gloss that you're too afraid to wear out in public because it's a little too bold for the way everyone perceives you
Red like marks "for improvement" spewing from every line of that paper you thought you did really well on
Red like stop signs that you can't always see because it's kind of dark outside and you forgot your glasses at your house and oh god why did you even leave
Anonymity is orange
Orange like going to a motel in a town you've never stayed in with old shower curtains from the 70s
Orange like goldfish at different state fairs that die a day later that you win for tossing a hoop on a bottle
Orange like trying on bright eyeshadows at random stores and pretending to be someone you're absolutely not
Orange like sticking your head out of the window on a highway and basking in the streetlights and singing your favorite song as loud as you can because no one knows who you are and it's okay
Happiness is yellow
Yellow like her seemingly endless hair flowing as she knocks her head back in laughter at something you said
Yellow like catching fireflies with your little sister just before the dusk sets in and she wants to keep them all
Yellow like faded pages of old letters that you keep in a shoe box and read when you're missing her
Yellow like sunshine beaming through tree leaves on a warm day with the slightest breeze that makes the whole world release a calming sigh
Change is green
Green like the curtains in your room that have seen how you've grown and they're on your side
Green like your first day of school when you aren't sure who to sit with at lunch so you end up sitting alone in your car
Green like creek water mixing with the tears falling from your eyes because you realized that he hurt you he hurt you he hurt you and he's nothing
Green like the way that the earth gently transitions from spring to summer to autumn to winter and back to spring in a never ending cycle
Depression is blue
Blue like before it rains when the clouds blend in with the dark sky and the sun seems to be only a memory
Blue like telling her that you're going to sleep so she won't worry when you know you'll be awake until you can no longer cry
Blue like your tear-stained eyes in the mirror when you've relapsed after two years of being clean
Blue like fingernail polish that has to be absolutely perfect on your nails because you've convinced yourself that it's the only thing you do right but you keep messing even that up
Love is violet
Violet like tasting the weeds that your mom always called "honeysuckles" when you were a child
Violet like leaving pressed wildflowers on your favorite pages of your favorite books for someone to find someday
Violet like the love bites she left on your chest, on your stomach, your thighs, arms, neck
Violet like the lipstick she wears when she's feeling bold and you're so in love with her it's hard to find words to put your thoughts together
Red like biting the inside of your mouth so hard that blood spills out onto your tongue and you can taste it on your lips
Red like that lip gloss that you're too afraid to wear out in public because it's a little too bold for the way everyone perceives you
Red like marks "for improvement" spewing from every line of that paper you thought you did really well on
Red like stop signs that you can't always see because it's kind of dark outside and you forgot your glasses at your house and oh god why did you even leave
Anonymity is orange
Orange like going to a motel in a town you've never stayed in with old shower curtains from the 70s
Orange like goldfish at different state fairs that die a day later that you win for tossing a hoop on a bottle
Orange like trying on bright eyeshadows at random stores and pretending to be someone you're absolutely not
Orange like sticking your head out of the window on a highway and basking in the streetlights and singing your favorite song as loud as you can because no one knows who you are and it's okay
Happiness is yellow
Yellow like her seemingly endless hair flowing as she knocks her head back in laughter at something you said
Yellow like catching fireflies with your little sister just before the dusk sets in and she wants to keep them all
Yellow like faded pages of old letters that you keep in a shoe box and read when you're missing her
Yellow like sunshine beaming through tree leaves on a warm day with the slightest breeze that makes the whole world release a calming sigh
Change is green
Green like the curtains in your room that have seen how you've grown and they're on your side
Green like your first day of school when you aren't sure who to sit with at lunch so you end up sitting alone in your car
Green like creek water mixing with the tears falling from your eyes because you realized that he hurt you he hurt you he hurt you and he's nothing
Green like the way that the earth gently transitions from spring to summer to autumn to winter and back to spring in a never ending cycle
Depression is blue
Blue like before it rains when the clouds blend in with the dark sky and the sun seems to be only a memory
Blue like telling her that you're going to sleep so she won't worry when you know you'll be awake until you can no longer cry
Blue like your tear-stained eyes in the mirror when you've relapsed after two years of being clean
Blue like fingernail polish that has to be absolutely perfect on your nails because you've convinced yourself that it's the only thing you do right but you keep messing even that up
Love is violet
Violet like tasting the weeds that your mom always called "honeysuckles" when you were a child
Violet like leaving pressed wildflowers on your favorite pages of your favorite books for someone to find someday
Violet like the love bites she left on your chest, on your stomach, your thighs, arms, neck
Violet like the lipstick she wears when she's feeling bold and you're so in love with her it's hard to find words to put your thoughts together
