Colors

Sunset January 2, 2012 Scheduled: 5:10 pm. Observed: a few minutes before.

Looking to the east over the Central Middle School football field just over the rim of gray, winter branches begins a near-mauve coloring, then rose, into peach, salmon, lighter pinks until the sky is blue – sky blue – the deepest blue overhead, most of the sky between east and west is clear blue sky, and as your gaze arcs over toward the west, yellows start to come into view as you look past the backlit flags on top of Fraser, becoming the yellowest the closest to the horizon that is closest to the sun, but never green, as we were taught the blending of blue and yellow should make in school. And none of the red tints that are rich in the east.

Who, what, where, how, why?

Reality Check

On New Year’s Day

I walked up Mass. Street. to the river.

I walked down the center double-yellow line

from 11^th Street to 6^th Street.

The silent storefronts rose up on either side of me

like a grand canyon.

The sun cleared the eastern edge of the world

and warmed the western rim of brick and stone.

I crossed over at 6^th and scaled the City Hall,

leaping up from one curved balcony to the next.

From the top, I dove in a perfect arc,

over the train tracks,

over the Bowersock Powerplant,

into a deep pool in the Kaw River.

Swimming quickly to the far side,

I bounded up the limestones

to the top of the levee

where I faced the sun

and shook the excess water out of my hair -

and walked back home

to take a hot shower

and change back

into my secret identity.

Appearances

As I stood at the light at City Hall,

I observed what appeared to be

a woman,

walking her dog

on the far side of the street

along the warming, red bricks

of the Journal-World building.

Upon reflection, if appeared

that she was holding her hand

away from her body

to avoid getting cigarette smoke

on her skirt,

the dog was only

her shadow on the wall,

and the appearance of a pulling leash

merely her effort to balance

as she walked on high heels.

The woman turned and vanished,

shadow and all, down the alley.

From the silhouette of her legs

it had appeared

that she was an attractive woman.

But who am I

to judge a woman

on fleeting appearances.

As the light changed,

a shadow appeared

to help a blind man

to the other side

of the street.