ADELINE

Adeline gifted me the color red

She wore it first, passed from wombs before her,

‘Till it came tumbling down my locks of hair,

Fire igniting a meek girl's nature

 

Away from red's brilliance I'd once recoil

But now she whispers tales of matriarchs in my ears,

Women born from women sacrificing blood to bear those after,

“You will forever sway with scarlet waves, my dear”

 

We are first delivered on red carpets,

Vermilion threads basting us to our time,

Stitching flushes of pleasure across flesh,

Lipstick stains patched into sheets and jaw lines

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At times red pools at welling wounds,

Burgundy so deep I think I might drown,

I’ve been known to faint at the sight of blood

Only to bleed where flesh meets the ground

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Despite weak knees, crimson strength radiates, 

Glowing from a deep cavity within,

Mined by her and thousands of hers before,

Veins of geneal ties reaching depths unknown

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And as an expanding capacity unfolds before

I lean my head towards the sky,

Auburn locks tumble down my back

And I see red behind closed eyes.