Some associate a rich red
with either the color of a deep wine
that is bitter and sinfully indulgent
after an impossibly long week
at a ceremony that is supposed
to be religious
or the blood that seeps out
of the fatal wound of the victim
on the most recent re-run
of that crime investigation show.
Personally, I recall the stain of
my newest lipstick that looked
like that spoke of in the fairytale
on his swollen lips
as I told him my final goodbyes
and added up his bill
for the months he spent
adding to his tab.

*April 12, 2014 9:56:46 PM