Painting Colors of Truth
By M Teresa Clayton
Take me to the war where the canvas is dull.
Give me a palette of bright colors and hues,
to cover bland camouflage and muted khaki,
I will create a psychedelic suffuse.
Imagine the rolling dunes of the desert.
I will use sky blues contrasted with bright red,
no longer a drab picture of dirt and sand,
I will paint upon it the wounded and dead.
Give me a new canvas cracked and split in two,
piece it back together using needle and thread,
tattered beneath the brushstrokes of crimson and gray,
Earthquakes and lifeless faces full of dread.
On another canvas I will paint something new.
This one is a secret, a beautiful surprise!
Forests of green where once there were none
They were destroyed by corporate greed and lies.
Yellows and orange to create beautiful corals
‘neath ocean waters of tranquil tourmaline,
I will cover the truth of blood tides,
The destruction of the once great marine.
Purple for the bruises, mutilation of women,
Violets for maiming those who don’t believe,
Garnet for the children burned and charred,
Blue for tears of the mothers who grieve.
Yes, I could paint you a picture of peace and of love,
Create a story on this blank canvas board,
And change the facts with bright new stories.
Is this truth, in colors we can afford?
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