I’ll paint the sky an ultra-marine
blue wash for this scene,
but strong enough to complement
the ruby husk of pomegranate.
Spanish tiles and rooftop trim–
mix red and yellow cadmium;
and color the fruit Hooker’s green–
in winter paint it tangerine.
Mix some white with Winsor lemon—
yucca blooms of clotted cream on
spires, like delicious bells.
Then, settle on the ocean swells …
where sky is white, with cobalt blue,
like skim milk stained with one or two
blueberries. Ocean less intense;
and on the beach, a broken fence
completes the composition hues
with rust, a counterpoint to blues.
I’ll save Payne’s grey, and the umber
for fire season in November.
……..
