A Life in Colours

This colour is the taste of citrus fruits,
The taste of a summer's day.
The soft breeze blowing around and around
Brining laughter from children at play.

Sweet lemonade with some ice and shade
Is all a picnic needs,
Add a little salad and a sandwich too
And a blanket to sit on the weeds.

Sunbath among the grass and flowers
Hear that buzzing sound.
A sweet little bee flying in the garden
Making her way around.

From flower to flower this little bee buzzes
To even the smallest daisy.
She visits them all on this bright summer day
Never could she be called lazy.

This colour swirls in a glass of champagne
Bubbling up special nights.
Good time and new beginnings,
It goes with twinkling lights.

Fields of grain ripe and ready
Rippling in the breeze.
This colour fills acres and acres
The farmers plough it with ease.

This colour comes announcing the end
Of warm and sunshine-filled days,
It changes the leaves on all of the trees
It is sure to impress and amaze.

This colour is that of our truest passion,
The lace vibrant and chic.
A dab of lipstick on a woman's lips
Adds a bit of mystique.

Mix that with wine, fruity and dark,
And a cherry on top of a cake.
The exchange of a kiss with a promise of more
Is sure to make a man ache.

A bouquet of roses arrives at her door
She smiles at her lover's name.
Her body is his and so is her heart,
But he prefers his women tame.

He didn't show his temper for years and years
Until one fateful night.
A terrible argument made his blood boil
He made it a physical fight.

The traces of rage and violence on her skin
She tried to cover it up.
This once loving colour turned him into a monster
He was constantly blowing up.

His anger and violence drove her to despair
She was almost always in tears.
Tired of the pain, the shame and the guilt
She decided to face her fears.

The colour of the water drove her to freedom,
It cleaned her worn-out skin.
She went to the sea to find her peace
And look back on where she had been.

She fell in love with the sea and sky
And a man whose eyes were both.
His arms brought her safety, comfort and warmth,
They took a solemn oath.

Long had she envied the freedom of birds,
Their songs that felt of joy.
As she fed and sang with them she knew
Her life was hers to enjoy.

When days were dark her fears returned
And with them came the rain.
It fell and fell over her body
And wiped away the stain.

It entered her soul one drop at a time
Rescued her from her cage.
It freed her from that violent colour
Wiped clean the page.

She thought about life and how it was shaped
Around this peaceful shade.
She started to travel to see natural wonders
She visited every glade.

She delved deep into forests of many hues,
Could name each and every plant.
She began to love the creatures of the forest
Even the smallest ant.

She explored ruins covered in vines and weeds,
Saw trees as old as time.
Large valleys with leaves swaying in the breeze,
And moss on which she could climb.

The air of the forest where fairytales blossomed
Made her want to find out more,
About her family and where they had been,
And all that came before.

She traced her lineage back a few centuries,
Built her family tree.
All the interesting stories she found
Made her want to get her degree.

Her best friend was without a doubt
Her lucky four-leafed clover.
They had met on St Patrick's day
And she knew her search was over.

Over time they became leprechaun friends,
Their friendship their pot of gold.
They always had each other's backs,
Kept the other out of the cold.

The feel of the grass beneath her feet
Brought a smile to her lips.
She lay down on the ground to watch the stars
And observe a lunar eclipse.

She loved the winter month of December
For with is came the holidays.
A tree in her house so full of decorations
Added cheer to her days.

When spring finally came and melted the snow
She smiled at every bud she found.
The wonderful smell of freshly cut grass
Was almost worth that lawn-mowing sound.

She felt grounded to the earth as never before
And began to love it's shade.
Her eyes were the colour of fresh planted dirt
But with time they began to fade.

They were no longer the colour of dark melted chocolate
Or the rocks on which the sea broke.
They became softer and lighter and with time they grew
To resemble the bark of an oak.

They were warm and inviting like a cup of hot cocoa
During a cold winter's day.
She gave off that same feeling you get when you walk
Through the doors of a rustic chalet.

She painted her house with earthly tones
To ensure that home-like feeling.
She varied the shade from room to room
Made it look very appealing.

Her hair was the colour of cinnamon sticks
With streaks of chocolate milk.
As time went on those streaks grew pale
And turned her hair into silk.

She set off to find the meaning behind
The colours she didn't know.
First was the colour of royal blood
That meant status so long ago.

She visited castle after castle and red up in books
The stories of once noble kings.
Scandals and intrigue and mistresses too,
History had so many strings.

A tapestry of colour where one meant control
Above all the rest.
Made everyone believe they were the ones
Chosen by God to be blest.

She liked the colour despite it's past
For it was the one that you got
When you looked at the tales of knights and beasts
The colour of mighty Camelot.

She saw it come out year after year
Around Valentine's day
Complimenting the roses and hearts
Varying the display.

This led her to the next colour in line
The one associated with her sex.
The added blush to a young girl's cheek
Could have all kinds of effects.

She began to see it under a new light,
Began to see it anew.
No longer a variant of the once painful colour
It was the shade of morning dew.

The rosy dawn brings a new day
Shines light were there once was none.
Each sunrise was unique, she would get up to watch it,
Each day she would go for a run.

She looked for ways to introduce
This colour into her life.
She bought half a ton of watermelons
And put them all to the knife.

She turned her attention to raspberries,
Ate them with every meal.
Paired it at supper with a glass of rosé
The duo was ideal.

She turned from sunrise to sunset as her age advanced
Finding peace in the combination
Of two colours that painted the sky every night,
Each one a new creation.

She loved the rays of the sun warming her skin
And the flower carrying it's name.
She covered her garden with this plant,
It was a sea of moving flame.

A last ode to the sun, the one mighty god
Who's rays kissed the earth.
Whose presence was the meaning of life,
To this world gave birth.

That summer they roasted many a s'more
Over a burning fire.
She wanted to enjoy all the time she had left
Before she had to retire.

Candle-lit dinners with the man she loved
With all her favourite food.
He was loosing her, the love of his life
But his heart was filled with gratitude.

He had gotten to know this wonderful woman
And all the colours she brought with her.
As he watched her skin glow from the candle,
His vision began to blur.

During the time of pumpkins and ghosts
Is when she said goodbye.
She held on long enough to answer the question
Of those who want to know why.

As the world grew cold she held onto the fire
That burned deep within.
She had made her mark on this world so grey,
Left colour where she had been.

A Constant Battle

They came for me one night
As I was lying in bed
Thinking about my homework,
I was stuck in my head.
I saw the darkness creeping
Gently through the window
Their shadows against my wall
Slowly crawling on my pillow.
I couldn't make a sound as they
Make my head their home
Enclosed my thoughts and feelings
In  maze of catacombs.
My mind was lost, they wasted no time
The demons invaded my space,
Broke everything inside, yet
Left without a trace.
My nightmares came more and more,
To my absolute horror
They started invading my days
I felt so much shame, I couldn't walk past a mirror.
My words began to leave me,
Soon I was unable to talk at all,
Every time I tried to speak
My words would hit a wall.
They slowly merged and festered
The darkness inside stared to grow,
It took root in my heart
And fed off my sorrow.
I had a tree of darkness
Deep within my soul,
No amount of medicine
Could get it under control.
It was a constant reminder of my pain
I could no longer stand to have it there,
I went to my mother and said
To you, my soul, I bear.
I have a darkness inside me
That will no go away,
No matter how much light I shine
It just seems here to stay.
I don't know what to do anymore
With these demons in my head
They are constantly pushing me towards it,
I know they want me dead.
I can't fight them off much longer
My voice is growing numb,
I'm here to ask for help
To get them under my thumb.
Together we went looking
For someone to help me save
Myself from these demons,
Teach them to behave.
We found a wonderful doctor
Who agreed to take me on
She said she was by my side
Until all the demons were gone.
It would be hard work she said,
But I should not be scared
For demons will never come back
Because I would be prepared.
Placing my trust in her was hard,
I went to see her twice a week
At first I saw no progress
But slowly I started to speak.
I told her about the things inside
In return she armed me with tools,
That made the demons a little fewer
Those who remained learned strict rules.
The weight of my heart became lighter,
The tree grew smaller
As I cut it branch by branch,
My world slowly went from black and white to colour.
I started to notice it when I saw
The vibrant blue of a blue jay,
Next was the yellow of a sunflower
To celebrate I bought myself a bouquet.
Finally I could permit myself to talk about what
Had happened to me,
I knew there were others out there,
And now that I was finally free
I could possibly help others
Who fell ill to the same demons as me,
Help them unlock their potential
Teach them that they are not a nobody.
Some days are impossibly hard, and
The demons have come back now
It is harder to fight them off,
But I know with help they will surely bow.
It is an on going battle,
Just like cancer,
It can come back some day
But now I have the answer.
I know how to fight my demons,
Even if these ones are new
I will fight them off as I did the others,
I will show them that I grew.
The tree is still within me
But it has much changed,
It is no longer of darkness,
Crooked or deranged.
It was fused with my spine,
And helps to hold me straight.
It reminds me what would have happened
If I had let the demons decide my fate.