Colour is Distracting
Feel the Prussian Blue pushing
against the eyelids.
Oxide Green touches the arch
of an undressed foot.
Raw Umber brushes against
the neglected fold of an elbow
and leaves a Red Ochre rash.
Gold and Silver fill the throat.
Crimson and Primrose Yellow
burn foolish fingertips.
Approach with caution and use
only when vital to inflame the eyes.
Opening the paint box is personal—
the black lines contain the flesh.
Ruth Stacey‘s first collection Queen, Jewel, Mistress was published by Eyewear (2015), and her second collection, I, Ursula by V. Press Poetry (2020). Her most recent pamphlet, The Dark Room: Letters to Krista, was published by Knives, Forks & Spoons (2021).