Chasing Yellow

By Pooja Jaswal

I read,  

yellow brings joy.  

I ran to a store,  

bought all the yellow.  

Light, my pockets felt,  

was it time  

for happiness to begin?  

I ate yellow,  

bananas, lemons,  

anything yellow.  

Honestly?  

I felt a tad mad,  

yet, I wasn’t becoming  

glad.  

I filled a pool  

with yellow,  

looking at all that paint,  

though I might faint.  

I splashed and swam,  

but it felt the same;  

the watered-down yellow  

didn’t end the pain.  

I licked yellow bottles,  

smeared my hands,  

spilled yellow everywhere,  

across the lands.  

Yellow covered  

my eyes,  

my taste,  

my touch,  

hoping it would make  

me happy much.  

I injected yellow,

into my veins,  

so when I bled, 

as I bled, 

I bled yellow too.  

I watched, 

the color,

stream down my skin,

the floor,

did good,

accepting the yellow. 

I coughed in yellow  

and wiped my face, 

yellow.  

I choked on  

the yellow  

and threw up  

the yellow.  

My vision blurred,  

I saw a figure,  

perhaps the goal  

of yellow, 

to reel me in.  

I smiled,  

lifted my limbs in the air,  

waiting and holding  

my breath.  

The caress never came;  

yellow washed me over.  

I shall neither remember  

nor speak ever after.  

Know that  

the yellow  

had me smiling  

then.  

I'd heard,

addictive

happiness,

is like a bright light

and God,  

did I feel  

lighter ever after.

By Pooja Jaswal