you gaudy home depot apron,
abrupt as an alarm, like a siren
sounding down a suburban street
way past midnight, some
unwelcome tragedy— orange,
you mean hot but not
too hot. coincidence laughs
in my full moon face as i sit
next to a clementine wall
in this quiet cafe, as i spoon
curried pumpkin soup
on the first proper winter day
while condensation droplets trickle
down this side of the windowpane--
and remember, easing down into
the feeling like a full warm bath:
driving south through appalachia
that november as the sun set
every leaf ablaze, like millions of
lightbulbs, they glowed from within,
thrumming in every shade of saffron,
persimmon, tiger’s eye, ochre,
and you, orange, tinged the sky
with one last brilliant light, stood
alone against the encroaching
purple indigo night, you, the sun’s
swan song swath of color, a miracle
i saw from the hood of a parked car,
engine idling to keep the heat on,
awash in your burning light,
speechless
abrupt as an alarm, like a siren
sounding down a suburban street
way past midnight, some
unwelcome tragedy— orange,
you mean hot but not
too hot. coincidence laughs
in my full moon face as i sit
next to a clementine wall
in this quiet cafe, as i spoon
curried pumpkin soup
on the first proper winter day
while condensation droplets trickle
down this side of the windowpane--
and remember, easing down into
the feeling like a full warm bath:
driving south through appalachia
that november as the sun set
every leaf ablaze, like millions of
lightbulbs, they glowed from within,
thrumming in every shade of saffron,
persimmon, tiger’s eye, ochre,
and you, orange, tinged the sky
with one last brilliant light, stood
alone against the encroaching
purple indigo night, you, the sun’s
swan song swath of color, a miracle
i saw from the hood of a parked car,
engine idling to keep the heat on,
awash in your burning light,
speechless
Olivia Braley is a mostly-poetry writer living in Annapolis, MD. She is a co-founder and Editor in Chief of Stone of Madness Press, and a Reader at Longleaf Review. Most recently, her work can be found in Versification’s June 2020 issue. Keep up with her on Twitter @OliviaBraley.