loneliness has many colors;
the deep pomegranate of longing,
the vast cobalt of a clear, lonely sky,
the wilting daffodil of I miss you,
the charred coal of so you’ve found someone else.
to call them muted would be to rob
them of their potency;
rather, the colors of loneliness
are so vibrant
that it is you
who seems muted
by comparison.