Where is the blue? ----------------------- On the edge of the desert Where it met the sea From horizon to horizon For miles I could see Waters that were happy Calm and bright A glittering shimmering Sheet of light The skies were azure The waters turquoise The bluest of blue With touches of white I walked to the rocks To the pools in between Looked through the waters That shimmered blue-green Through the patterns of light I could see very well Through waltzing waters Each pebble, each shell Like the purest of glass I stood looking through And then I thought "Where is the blue?" The waters, then quiet Looked guilty and shy In a wink they confessed To a colorful lie As waves washed over A fresh sheen of blue Froth in their wake White, scattered through In that pool of blue Glittered some pearls As light danced through them In ribbons and swirls I looked at the pearls But I could see right through At the pebbles and shells Scattered under, askew At a distance I saw A wave crash, unfurl I walked to that pool Now a green-blue swirl Unusual green emeralds For I could see through "Now where is the green?" "Forget the blue!" As the breeze grew strong Chanting mystic whorls The waters turned white With pearls and opals Though cupped in my hands They remained in the pools All I held was clear crystal The jewel of fools! A cloud rumbled by Grey like asphalt The pools underneath Turned deep cobalt Then a gorgeous amethyst Deep violet in hue Yet a moment ago This water was blue Now lined with purple Glowing ebbs and swells I looked deep inside I could still see the shells The cloud blew away The sparkle returned Soft little pinpoints Twinkled and turned I wandered the pools Examined the waves Where were the jewels? These jewels of knaves? Back by the sand I had just seen soft maiden grass the greenest of green With soft purple plumes Like the tuft of a mare When I walked up to them They were still there Some things around Are steadfast and true If you see a blue flower It is truly blue But this blue was elusive In its beauty and flair Of its million new hues None were there Yet it tinted the skies Mountains and seas Horizons and landscapes Fog over trees A bird glided by I hailed it as it flew "Is the sky high above" "As azure to you?" "Oh no!" it said "I clearly see" Every pebble, every rock" "The sea, every tree" "The sky I fly through" "Has no color that I see" "I think the blue is" "Turquoise of the sea" But I knew that was wrong Wrong all through That afternoon I wondered "Then where is this blue?" If I were to paint This beautiful day What colors would I choose? There are none that stay! These waters, I thought Of hues that come and go "Does someone play a game?" "I would like to know!" The waves bring the dice Then scuffle and scatter An urnful of jewels Each time with a clatter But more than that This magical scene Is illusion on canvas That is always pristine! ---------------------- 27 Apr. 2018, 11:29 AM, In the airplane from Doha to Chicago.