Kaleidoscopic

here i make my debut

a Kodachrome reintroduction

to the drab society that tried to corral

voluptuous rose-hipped curves

into a gilded 5x7 frame

like a black and white stock photo

i am no ivory porcelain doll

bone china

rouged apple cheeks

silky golden ringlets

sitting submissive on the shelf

in my silk coat of tired dust and gray

forgotten

My name is unforgettable

larger than life

intrusive and chartreuse

and loud and orange

like a neon parade through the French Quarter

prismatic harlequin dancing

My name is sudden

a bolt of lightning

blue spark electric

flash then bang then silence

abrupt as a summer storm

My name is discomfort

shed this death-pale skin

that fits like a wool sweater

machine washed and dried

too-tight

itchy white

straight jacket

I peel off to the polychromatic layers underneath

My name is uncivilized

tremulous black thunder of drums

feral, snarling mountain cat at bay

throaty, foamy roar of white-capped rapids

not even the rocks dare command

for they know I will grind them to dust

My name is sandpaper

abrasive grit that planes away

the rough patches

strike on me the match

to light your brazen torches

I am unbothered

by your pitchforked tongues

My name they cannot pronounce

it is the stuff of parchment and legend

flecked copper

burnished and flaming

far older than Achilles

and Gilgamesh and Beowulf

my ancient brothers

heroes of cinnabar myth

My name was whispered to the stars

a silver sigh like a moonbeam

beneath the purple shadow of Stonehenge

newly erected

shining temple iridescent

My name sparks magic

quicksilver through the air

it ripples the sapphire seas

and quakes the verdant land

ancient runes obsidian

to conjure the universe

My name rides the wind

a shieldmaiden victorious

to the golden halls of Valhalla

blood-stained

Battle-worn

Valkyrie terrible to behold

My name is a shimmering pearl

opalescent tear shed for love’s labour’s lost

My name is a peal of laughter

tickled pink for love’s labour's won

My name is a garden

Soft blooms in many-colored disarray

petals closed tight before the unveiling

a lavender smile spreading like the sunrise

My name is a rainbow

fierce multi-faceted pride

Lover

Mother

Sister

Guardian

My kaleidoscopic name shall be remembered

crashing against the high summer night

violently brilliant

For my name is WOMAN