Shades of Red

1/3/21

All the lives we lead,

all the memories we bleed,

are just different shades of the same

burning red.

Identical everyday habits

that define each and every one of us,

like a classic red that cannot be labeled.

Identical mistakes that we can either

fix or ignore,

like a glass of spilled red wine.

Identical childhood memories

that bring tears to our eyes.

We long for them,

and we see them through our flawed vision,

like a red candy that we crave,

forgetting how it truly made us feel,

forgetting the mess that surrounded it

and placing it in a wrapper for protection.

What a deep connection

each one of us has to the other.

I don’t know your name,

but I know we are exactly the same.

We have the same habits

and the same mistakes

and the same memories.

Like after like

serving as a silent acknowledgment

of our shared existence.