Watercolor Soul

A million shades of green mark the brush strokes of our youth,

Blending with all shades of gray as life yields bits of truth.

Growing up the red-gold dawn makes plain a widening sky.

And we soar with bright strong wings up high, toward pure white clouds 
       we fly.

The colors of our world flow in and wash across our hearts,

Renewing faith we’ll rise above the storms and rocky starts.

And then one day we just look up to see the sky’s turned blue:

At times pale as our faded jeans, yet too deep to sail through.

This color penetrates our souls; we don’t feel its effect

‘Til we wake to find we’re bruised in places we’d failed to protect.

So we panic and build walls just to shut the darkness out.

Fending off the blues becomes what life is all about.

Then we add another color to confuse our once clear scheme:

The yellow of our fears paralyzes dreams.

So we walk through still more pain that we never should have faced.

And too many of us die in that dull, lusterless state.

Or glimpse again the red-gold dawn

Long after it’s too late...

At times we hear a voice, but do we let it have its say?

It tells us love is real, that it can wash the fear away.

What to do? What to do? Chance a trade, for love’s shade,

To surrender so much blue?

I don’t know. I don’t know. Which way? Should I stay?

I don’t know. Maybe so. Here I go...

(spoken/rapped)

Let it in. Let it in.

Give me back the green.

Let my life begin.

Blend it with the gray

And the red-gold dawn.

I’ll even take my chance

With a bit of blue, but gone

Are the yellow and the black,

And the terrifying lack

Of the technicolor dreams

That remind me what life means.

I’ll embrace the red of danger

And the purple of your love,

And I’ll give you all of me

‘Cause you fit just like a glove.

Together we will blend

Into one eclectic pallet,

With a passion so white-hot,

Even death could not corral it.