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 © 2026 Gary Hoffmann