A Kaleidoscope of Life

An artist's canvas is born bare,
life fills it; painful valleys, joyful peaks.
Between our first breath and our last,
every color in God's paintbox speaks.

The day we fall in love;
fragile feelings, a delicate pink hue.
A mix of passionate blushes,
scarlet heartstrings, a violet blue.

The pigments of love are mingled.
Warm Autumn colors are friends.
We care, share, make commitments.
Families mix a palette into blends.

A bright splash of colors,
Children have joined the plot.
Toddler days are vivid orange.
School; cherry red, teen years: fire engine hot.

The canvas carried gray shades
Pockets were empty, nary a smile.
Lasts till the yellow sun peeks through.
Rain sure paints the blues for awhile.

As that last breath is drawn,
Black seems to color the end.
Then a canvas of bright white
is ready to begin all over again.

For all the seasons of our life,
each painted in different ways.
Beginnings, endings, and in-between.
A rainbow colors our Earthly stay.



Kathie Stehr
2020
28 lines