Paint by Numbers for Sarah |
Nicholas Grooms
Mondays feel so perilously gray
in the way I label each absent hue
with a number
our daughters eyes
our sons hair
the various shades of greenery in the window
the partial way natural light hits the kitchen table
over breakfast and morning coffee
the wavy lines of rising steam
the soft glow of the bulb over the sink
the clothes tumbling in the dryer
the fleet of trucks the kids leave in gridlock
on carpet fibers of pretend highway
stuck in the standstill of their new game
everything feels slightly off in your absence
a little less bright and devoid of tone
even your rainbow tie dye koozie
looks like a blur of dusky twilight
meant to keep your warmth aloof
until you walk through the door
and start painting by numbers
a kiss to blush the cheek, the forehead, my lips
the caramel blonde of afternoon caffeine
the penmanship of turquoise words on the calendar
the stickers you place upon our kids shirts
the way you open the curtains I neglected all day
as light spills through in a way only you can create
I wait through this droll day of muted sight
this long winded passing of duplicate slate
just to watch you color our world
as the portal between Kansas and Oz;
the difference between color and technicolor,
shading perfectly inside the lines
with the tenderness of love unlike any other
Nicholas Grooms is a Pushcart nominated poet, author, writer, hip-hop artist, mental health advocate and stay at home father hailing from Garden City, Kansas. He has recently appeared in Suburban Witchcraft, Villain Era Lit, Ionosphere, Discretionary Love and God’s Cruel Joke, though he is best known for his songwriting work with the Kansas City Chiefs and as a touring musician in the midwest. He currently resides with his family in Austin, TX. You can find him @nicholasgroomsraps on Instagram.