Death of a Rainbow

I should have stayed

Just one more minute,

And watched the Argonne pastels fade

Into that forest archetypal,

That hilly massif just by Champagne.

The watercourses mingled with the Aire.

The watercolors white washed in the sky,

Beside the still shadow of Lorraine.

The last breath of the Rainbow,

I should have seen it die.

And did I miss the fading glory?

Did the neons blur and disappear

As the sunset quit the misting,

As I turned at the forest there?

And seeing not the region for the trees,

And seeing not the time, to then, redeem it,

And, like a fool, thought it would wait for me.

Sluttish function bellowed me to my rut,

And like a slave, I did what was expected,

And overlooked the miracle—

The chance to marvel at the rare occurrence.

-jenn long