White
and a puddle of milk spilled in an alley -- --
a ship's sail, a kite's tail, a wedding veil
Hailstones and halibut bones
and some people's telephones.
The hottest and most blinding light is white.
And breath is white
when you blow it out on a frosty night.
White is the shining absence of all color
then absence is white, out of touch, out of sight.
White is marshmallow and vanilla ice cream
and the part you can't remember in a dream.
White is the sound of a light foot walking
White is the beautiful broken lace
of snowflakes falling on your face.
You can smell white in a country room
toward the end of May in the cherry bloom.
