Periwinkle and Gold

The way you crossed the hall,
Periwinkle eyes
Wide with curiosity, exploration
And that fresh smile
I couldn't quite pin to any film
I'd ever seen before.

And the way you lay on the table top,
Your ombe lipstick smirks
Turned quick trick smiles,
The way you lingered for a while,
And gazed up at the covered sky
Like there were stars up there
And like you could catch them all.

And you could.
You could have the world, if you wanted it.
I would bet it,
Net it,
Catch it,
Wrap it,
Box it,
Lay it carefully at the foot of your bed,
And disappear by dawn.
Or stay a while--a day, a week,
A month, a year,
An eternity, if you like.

I would bottle the bird songs,
Package the fog,
Bottle the rain that you love so much.
Stack them all on your mantle,
If it would bring about
That smile I never knew before
But now cannot forget.

For I could not forget the way
You fell from the branches that day
And changed the colors of the leaves
And turned them to a palette
I never knew I'd believe;
The gold of your necklace,
The yellow of your skirt,
The red of your cheeky pout,
The warm of your glow.

And the way it stayed warm,
Even though the winter.