it was my mother’s
favourite colour
so I planted red gardenias
where bees now hover

my goin’ out lipstick
in a tube thin & sleek
so I can leave red kisses
on my loved ones cheek

so many shades
tantalizing hues
shiny red toenails
peeking through my summer shoes

flags, cars, hair
it flows in rivers during war
soldiers of different races
dying on a foreign shore

my mother’s favourite colour
it’s always been around
now spilled on US streets
from the bodies of those who are brown

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