A Prismatic State of Mind

Tell me we will lie here; just the two of us so as to escape the dreary and colorless life we have both led for far too long. Can we drift into a dreamy state of delusions— disappearing into a prismatic world where the spectrum of colors makes our bodies prisms; two waves in the ocean. Just as the ripples dance across the room— the myriad colors merge and paint a masterpiece. The tranquil teal immerses itself in ravenous rose— creating the violent violet vigor that transcends all words. We breathe in this brilliantly burning moment. Our eyes are static cling; the sunlight on the sea glistens as if through intricate gossamer. Still the waves ripple and roll as the winds make it known: we were here. So on does the land of Poseidon continue to spread its shadows over us. The blue-green of the ocean softly shines across our red-orange embrace; curling its currents over our enigmatic eyes into the chambers of heavy hearts. The kaleidoscopic candescence captivates us if only for a fleeting second within the span of timelessness— reflected in another’s eyes, in a pool of cool translucent sapphire. In a single breath, our multi-colored world bursts… Ruby Coral Tangerine… All intertwining with bright citrine— Emerald Cerulean Indigo… Interlacing themselves with a reddish-blue— these colors and all shades in between course throughout our veins as they bleed out of picture frames and into our entwined, iridescent fingers. However, our prismatic world will too soon fall as our dreamy state of delusions are divided by our monochromatic walls— Suffocating as this burning moment turns to ash.

Erica Abbott (she/her) is a Philadelphia-based poet and writer whose work has previously appeared or is forthcoming in Selcouth Station, Anti-Heroin Chic, perhappened, Bandit Fiction, Brave Voices Magazine, and other journals. She is the author of Self-Portrait as a Sinking Ship (Toho 2020), her debut poetry chapbook. She volunteers for Button Poetry and Mad Poets Society. Follow her on Instagram @poetry_erica and on Twitter @erica_abbott.