Widow’s Weeds

Black 
is the absence of color 
to which the eye adjusts. 
Black magnifies the face of 
the beloved. 

Lavender 
is the polite word for purple,
the color of bruises 
the color of intoxication, 
and of healing. 

Grey 
is the color of first light 
and last light. 
The next step after grey 
is white.