colourblind

we are white. an amalgamation of:

non-concordant jazzed-up blues,

labyrinthine purples: lavender and onions-

stung slumber, insufferable flavours with

sufferable fragrances (we get a little

lost in purple). antithetically amethyst, 

photogenic skies or thunderclouds, 

depending on which side of the riverbed 

the wanton weather awoke, 

and what it wished upon us. we are

white. a coalescence of the criminal kind:

red astigmatism-antagonised traffic lights (the 

bloodied baptism of illicit blurred lines), platelets 

clotting, tumorous with fates so fucking humorous. 

laughable. the needle shook in our skin as we laughed in orange.

we cackled, jolting the medicinal turmeric inside our arm

from an already swollen syringe. carved quixotic beams

for mouths, with our o-lipped reflections spectating, 

holding out for hallow’s eve. we are protecting aimless flames 

but we are cold. we freeze (and had no idea

frostbite also swallows). we are white. synthetic synesthesia:

evil breathing sage grudges, sweating emerald in our efforts, 

telltale patches of repugnant injustice and half a prayer,

(us green-thumbed adversaries)

that there’s growth to propagate from damp.

every jaded spoke of the colour wheel 

-turning, turning, aching, turning-

is hydraulic to our enmity and it must be maintained

-turning, aching, tired, wearying: we are white.

a composite of the uncomplimentary:

a sour lemon breakfast and raspberry lipstick so we can lie

through our teeth with charm all day (then we lie awake, 

pink cotton pads that taste like lemonade 

also lie, on the counter where 

we stopped pretending). we’ll still pretend tomorrow, 

hearts are yellow egg yolks 

non-refundable to broken shells. we’re so capable of 

latching to numbness in mess. we loved once, lived once and

learned twice that grey articulation and grey stances,

could erase emotions. silence is golden (ostensibly). 

penultimately 

you turned up your nose the cards on the table

I aimed the for the pocket and struck the 8-ball 

we were black, disputatious back to back, this is descent

we are white because true colours amass to resent

we are white because nothing is gone

we are white and we are done.

© Mollie Mardel