Stained Pearl & Opal

A sleeve of an otherwise pearl dress shirt;

Dyed at the hands of a laundry cycle

An uncertain, wavering red— waxing,

waning— like a pool encount’ring wind

Or a mellow seashore, where once-raucous waves unfurl,

Reminiscent of her tightly coiled copper curls

Could even be the creases on the tops of both our hands,

Fields of rice or split salt flats, same and, oh, so separate

I wonder if she’d wear it,

If I folded it with care—

hand delivered up her stairs—

Or altered it into a dress,

Maybe one more opalesce

But I’ll put it through the wash again,

Add some stain remover in

Let crimson ripples smooth out there,

And hang it in my closet, then:

More clothes to never wear

(Art by Lucy Yin, COT 2023-2024 Artist in Residence)