Stain my hands yellow for the unfaltering hope I saw
On the sidewalks slipping into the subways
Stain my sleeves red for the blood in me
Mutt blood, disaster, harmfully pristine to still have any
Coat my collar in silver for the linings I've come across.
Coat my chest maroon for the forests
I've wrenched apart, set on fire to teach you to save that stained piece of paper
Hit me with grey and honey glint-
For the sunsets you watch after the
Roaring thunder and ocean of lightning

Rock me under blue for the whitecaps that
Sunk your ship, drowned your men, swallowed your breath

Stow me away in white for the blazes which
Paralyzed you in the uncertainty and catapulted you to marry her

Paint me a shade
And I'll paint a church steeple in Italy
A wedding cake in the Bahamas
An apple tree flower heavy with fresh rain in Washington State

Paint me black
I will illuminate the souls that form your constellations

Paint me a shade
I paint a snapshot
One brush stroke at a time