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| “Animated Water” by Dragonlord-Daegen at DeviantArt |
of all the light sent by the sun, blue scatters the most in all directions
to be seen by everyone
it fills our sky and waters, most of our planet when seen from space,
yet in the rest of nature blue is rare,
hard to find in minerals and plants, or food, except in blueberries
and cheese, and difficult to make, ask any chemist
O blue of lapis lazuli, sleep and twilight, moon and Monday, ribbon
and blood, of medieval cathedral windows, glaciers, and forget-me-nots
O blue warm and cool, in hues of indigo, ultramarine and aquamarine,
turquoise and teal
blue that lowers our pulse rate, warns of poisons, protects against
the evil eye when used in pendants, painted on doors and houses
there is a blue of stability and distance, of peace and sadness,
eyes of people who survived ice
a blue of harmony, seen in the flag of the United Nations,
a blue of storms, in uniforms for soldiers and police
but for the most part blue is everywhere we’re not—and invites
us to join it
of all the light that reaches Earth, blue is the sun’s favorite
Catherine Gonick's poetry has appeared in literary magazines including Notre Dame Review, Beltway Poetry Quarterly, and Sukoon, and in anthologies including in plein air and Grabbed. She works in a company that mitigates the effects of climate change.