Blue Instead 
By: Ogonna Ononye

Blue, like those faded jeans

Torn to perfection, never stayed clean

Those ripped back pockets

And that hole in the knee

Hold the memory of you and me

Broken-down truck, lakeside view

Velvet dirt and gentle dew

Hugged my feet as I walked with you

Hands entwined, hearts steadfast

Knew this moment wouldn’t last

Shaking hands said it all

First kiss went by way too fast

I looked up expecting you

Saw nothing but a sea of blue

Your eyes, a mirror of the sky,

Whispered that you stole His hue

Not only for those faultless eyes

But used for paint upon your shoes

Scuffed and worn, I’ll never forget

Every adventure, along [with us] they went

Matching my stride, every step

In cold, in dry, in warm, in wet

Not in a storm would I ever lose

Those priceless, timeless shoes of blue

Blue, like your shirt upon which I cried

With ruffled stitches up the side

A bed on which I rested my eyes,

Into soft fabric fell tears to dry

My comfort for the road ahead

Are navy rocks on paths you’ve led

Some think that love is pink or red

My heart tells me it’s blue instead