Roy G. Biv
by Casey Jespon
© 2000

I need some red like a dying houseplant
needs a forest to die in
I have enough blue to stack from here to Timbuktu
The yellow looms over me like
a fly that ran out of gas mid-flight
While purple and its weak counterpart, green
just signed a 20-year nonaggression pact
All I need now is some white.
I pass by brown on the Ave while
closely guarding my loose change
I bought orange a cappuccino in hopes we would make out
No luck
The teacher makes me raise a black flag
to make fun of the unpatriotic gray
And a single speck of turquoise lies
next to my untied shoe
All I want is some white.