see the grey
that – simply because
it is the brightest object
in this existence –
appears white.
even snow –
whose color we all know –
is dependent on the sun
for its hues,
without which all is darkness
and light lacks definition
and white becomes not a word.
(perfection is a myth
created by God
and perpetuated by believers)
I am darker
than you might think
(or brighter, perhaps,
than you know)
a subtle, eternally
invariant neutrality of tone
nor dark, nor light
but swirling shadow.
do not misperceive me,
my dear or my comrade,
for I am not the brightness
nor the nightmarish black
that you do suppose me
to be by merely contrast
to the remainder of your world.

09/23/2001

Posted on 09/23/2001
Copyright © 2025 Gary Hoffmann